Presentiment of Danger
by Alatariel1990
Summary: As a clairvoyant Theresa can see the future. With Voldemort growing stronger she must make Draco Malfoy fall in love with her for her own plans to work. Without falling for him. But there are things not even she can foresee. Mostly HBP book compliant.
1. Knockturn Alley

_First of all a huge thank you to xxcaityxx who's gone through each and every chapter I've written and corrected the worst of my spelling and grammar mistakes. Your help was very much appreciated._

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on the amazing work of J.K. Rowling and is kept cannon as much as possible. Some conversations are taken directly from the book (like the conversation between Draco and Mr Borgin in this chapter) and I've had other works inspire me as well. In other words, everything you recognize is obviously not mine._

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"Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down." – _Unknown Author_

**Chapter 1:**** Knockturn Alley **

Draco walked down Diagon Alley swiftly. He had finally managed to ditch his mother by _Flourish and Blotts_. Still he felt like he was being followed.

He scanned the street behind him, but saw nothing but wizarding families hurrying to do their shopping so they could return to the alleged safety of their homes. Nothing was safe anymore though.

With one last glance back he turned into the dark and twisting Knockturn Alley. The alley was completely deserted. This didn't come as much of a surprise. Nowadays no one would want to be seen lurking around shops filled with dark merchandise. Draco would have preferred to keep his distance to this place as well, but he had a job to do.

As if it were reminding him the Dark Mark on his left forearm gave an uncomfortable twinge. He had only received it a couple of days ago and the skin around it was still slightly inflamed.

The bell over the door twinkled as he walked into _Borgin and Burkes_. He passed cases full of skulls and old bottles filled with Merlin knew what. His eyes fell onto the tall, black cabinet. This was it. That was what he needed. Fortunately it hadn't been sold and Draco would make sure it remained here.

"Ah, young Master Malfoy, how may I help you?" The voice of Mr Borgin was as oily as his hair.

"I'm here because of the cabinet." Draco explained shortly about the other cabinet that currently stood in Hogwarts but had been broken. "Do you know how to fix it?"

"Possibly," answered the stooped man in a reluctant voice. Of course Borgin was aware of Draco's involvement with the Dark Lord though probably not the extent. Still, he seemed reluctant to part with the required information. "I'll need to see it, though. Why don't you bring it into the shop?"

Draco nearly snorted. "I can't," he said, mentally adding '_dimwit_'. "It's got to stay put. I just need you to tell me how to do it." Borgin licked his lips nervously. He obviously didn't want to be dragged into any scheming revolving around the Dark Lord. Unfortunately for him he didn't have much of a choice.

"Well, without seeing it, I must say it will be a very difficult job, perhaps impossible. I couldn't guarantee anything." Draco's patience with the old man was running low.

"No?" he sneered. "Perhaps this will make you more confident." He took a few steps towards Borgin, rolling up the sleeve of his left arm to reveal the Dark Mark. Borgin gasped, staring down at the black skull with the serpent tongue in horror. It had taken all of Draco's willpower not to flinch himself at the sight of the Mark on his own pale skin. He would not let himself seem distressed in front of this worthless piece of scum.

He rolled the sleeve down again, feeling almost relieved once it was out of sight. "Tell anyone and there will be retribution." Again he sneered at the proprietor of the shop. "You know Fenrir Greyback? He's a family friend, he'll be dropping in from time to time to make sure you're giving the problem your full attention." Draco hadn't been entirely honest. Greyback was surely no friend of the family, on the contrary, he preferred not to have anything to do with that monster, but the threat was effective.

"There will be no need for―"

"I'll decide that," Draco said in an authoritative manner, the way his father always had. "Well, I'd better be off. And don't forget to keep that one safe, I'll need it." He motioned towards the black cabinet.

"Perhaps you'd like to take it now?"

"No, of course I wouldn't, you stupid little man, how would I look carrying that down the street? Just don't sell it." He was still underage and wasn't allowed to perform magic outside of school otherwise he might have taken Borgin up on the offer and transfer the cabinet to a safer hiding place by magic, but the shop would have to do. Borgin wouldn't dare to sell it now.

"Of course not… sir." The man bowed low to him, like he always did when confronted with Lucius Malfoy. Draco admitted that he relished in the power he had been granted by the Dark Lord. He had always relied on his father's power, now he had his own.

"Not a word to anyone, Borgin, and that includes my mother, understand?" The woman had already meddled enough, running off to Snape of all people.

"Naturally, naturally." Borgin bowed again and Draco turned around, satisfied. He exited the shop with another tinkling of the bell.

Just as he walked out onto the street he collided with someone, which in itself was surprising since he thought he had been the only person walking down the alley. He looked down to see a beautiful face staring up at him with the same amount of surprise he was sure was edged onto his own features.

_Oh Merlin, let me die_, he thought as he recognised the girl. Of all the people he could have met here it had to be her.

Theresa Weidmann was a tall, slender girl in his year. Her long chocolate brown hair cascaded over her shoulders in shiny, silky locks, framing her pretty face with the creamy, ever so slightly tanned skin, the perfectly arched eyebrows, rosy lips and chocolaty brown eyes. The sweet, intoxicating scent of her perfume wafted up to his nose. At least he thought it was a perfume. He could clearly smell jasmine and fruity blackcurrant tea and perhaps a note of vanilla and ripe plum. It was a very alluring, vibrant and tantalisingly feminine scent.

The first time he had smelled it was in Arithmancy class last year. The both of them had been late to class and were forced to sit next to each other on the only still available seats. He had gotten a sniff of her scent and something in him had clicked. Ever since that day he had been secretly infatuated with her, a condition he hoped to this very day was only temporary for it would have to remain a secret until the day he died (otherwise that day would come very soon). Theresa was a Gryffindor and to make matters even worse she was a Muggle-born. Unfortunately this encounter only showed him that his condition had obviously survived the summer holidays.

Draco had spent the last year trying not to be suspiciously friendly to her despite the fact that he wouldn't have wanted anything more than to just ask her out. He had been unable to be mean to her like he was to others of her status so he had resorted to seemingly ignore her. His friends thought she wasn't even worth the time and effort to come up with snide remarks and he was thankful for that misinterpretation. Fortunately he had always been very good at concealing his emotions.

She was definitely the last person he had wanted to see in this area under these circumstances. If he had to stumble across her he would have preferred a nice café perhaps, laughing with his friends and being cool rather than lurking in dark alleys.

Just the sight of her! Heart pounding! Throat thickening! Absolutely impossible to swallow! All the usual symptoms he had become such an expert of over the course of their fifth year.

"Sorry," she apologised, taking a step back, "I didn't mean to nearly run you over."

_Why couldn't you have?_ A small voice in his head said, the voice belonging to the part of the brain that saw them both lying on the floor with her on top of him, maybe straddling his hips... Oh Merlin, he was losing his mind.

"No harm done," he managed to choke out past the lump in his throat. Her gaze had travelled to the window of the shop he had just come out of and he felt his face growing hot.

"So… What brings you to Knockturn Alley?" she asked conversationally, still eyeing the display of various dark objects. What was he supposed to say? Just doing a job for the Dark Lord? Somehow he thought that wouldn't impress her. He was about to open his mouth to say something, _anything_, when she shook her head and said, "On second thought, I don't think I want to know." Again she glanced at _Borgin and Burkes_, her expression neutral.

She began walking back to Diagon Alley and he decided to go with her. "What have you been doing down there?" he asked, trying to sound as casual as she did.

"It's a short cut to a Muggle antique bookshop and I wanted to take a look around in it," she answered.

"You didn't find the book you were looking for, I presume," Draco said. She turned towards him with a slight smile.

"What makes you think I was looking for a specific book?"

"You seem a bit disappointed." They walked on in silence for a minute or two. "What book were you looking for? Something special?"

"Special to me, yes. It has more of a sentimental value. It's a collection of Grimm fairytales – Muggle fairytales. My father gave it to me before he died and he wrote a dedication on the front page. Unfortunately the book was lost a few years ago." Draco hadn't even known her father was dead.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She just gave a shrug.

Soon they reached Diagon Alley again. "Well, I guess it was nice meeting you, Draco. I'll be seeing you around," Theresa said with a smile and then disappeared in a mob of parents and children that just came walking by. As he stared at the spot where she had disappeared his Dark Mark began throbbing painfully as if it were trying to remind him of what side he was on.

He hadn't even noticed Hermione Granger seemingly appear out of thin air and walking into _Borgin and Burkes_ while he had been walking away from it...

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_First chapter down, twenty-nine to go! I hope you liked the beginning. It doesn't say all that much yet, but I swear it'll get better. Please send me some reviews and don't hold back, I also value constructive criticism._


	2. On the Hogwarts Express

**Chapter 2:**** On the Hogwarts Express**

Being the first of September Theresa made her way to King's Cross station. Her uncle, as usual, had practically been glued to the couch in front of the television. The phone was right there beside him so if he should be hungry all he had to do was call a Chinese food or pizza delivery service. Of course he'd have to get up to open the door, which would probably be the only sort of exercise he'd get all day.

From the bus stop she had to drag her trunk four blocks to the train station. The streets were practically empty due to the terrible weather. In and of itself Theresa did not mind the loneliness and usually she relished in it just before walking onto the busy platform, but she was uncomfortably aware of how open she was to attack right now.

_A man walked around the corner. He was dressed in long black robes, his face partially concealed by a hood. He spotted her. His footsteps picked up pace and as he lifted his hand towards her he was holding his wand, the tip directed at her chest._

"_Stupefy!" he yelled._

Not entirely surprised by what she had seen Theresa stared at the corner of the street she was walking towards and where that man in the black robes, a Death Eater no doubt, would appear in a matter of moments. They were trying to intercept her before she managed to reach the safety of Platform 9¾.

She looked around and spotted a narrow side-street with garbage cans at the entrance. Quickly she grabbed her trunk and heaved it over the garbage cans, then climbed over them herself. Leaving her trunk hidden behind the cans she hurried along the narrow street until she reached a fire escape ladder. With the help of a wooden crate she reached the lowest rung of the ladder, which was approximately nine feet above the ground, and pulled herself up, then swiftly climbed up to the flat rooftop.

From there she watched the Death Eater come around the corner. He was soon followed by two others. They remained there another few minutes, probably hoping she'd still make an appearance. The first Death Eater shook his head when she didn't turn up and they left under the impression that they had missed her.

Theresa let out the breath she had been holding and slumped against the balustrade of the roof. That was too close for comfort, but at least she had had a warning. After she had waited two minutes, making sure the Death Eaters were really gone, she climbed down the fire escape again, letting herself drop from the last rung, landing lightly on her feet. At least it paid off now that she had practically climbed every tree that crossed her path in her childhood.

Dragging her trunk out of the passage she continued her way to the station, constantly alert for more Death Eaters. But she managed to reach King's Cross without further interruptions. After having done it five times already it was no longer quite so daunting to get through the barrier between the platforms 9 and 10, though the part in her that somehow held on to everything she had learned in the Muggle world continued to tell her how crazy she must be to be running full speed towards a very solid-looking wall. But like always the barrier gave way and moments later she found herself on Platform 9¾.

No matter how troubled times were the bustling on the platform was always the same. Families hugging and exchanging goodbyes, friends hugging and telling stories from their summer holidays, cats prowling between the colourful crowd, owls hooting from their cages and students jumping in and out of the scarlet Hogwarts Express, hauling trunks and cages. Theresa quickly spotted a few of her friends, Parvati and Padma Patil as well as Lavender Brown. But she decided not to join them just yet.

She had seen another group, unmistakable due to the great amount of red-haired people. Inconspicuously she moved towards them, following the red-haired man, she knew to be Arthur Weasley and the black-haired boy, who everyone knew to be Harry Potter. Theresa was cursed with an insatiable curiosity and the way Harry led Mr Weasley out of earshot of everyone else just screamed to be eavesdropped on.

As they talked she walked over carefully, standing behind a pillar close-by. "Well, we followed Draco Malfoy. We used my Invisibility Cloak." She heard Harry say. It did not take her long to know of what time Harry was talking. When she had collided into Draco in Knockturn Alley she had had the feeling that she might have bumped into someone else after retreating from him. She hadn't seen anyone and had decided not to think of it anymore, but now she was pretty sure that she had probably walked into Harry or one of his friends – _we_ could only refer to Ron and Hermione – under the Invisibility Cloak.

"Did you have any particular reason for doing so, or was it a mere whim?" Mr Weasley asked.

"Because I thought Malfoy was up to something." Theresa had become quite used to being the only Gryffindor referring to Draco Malfoy by his first name. She liked his name. "He'd given his mother the slip and I wanted to know why."

"Of course you did." Mr Weasley sounded amused and Theresa had to smirk herself. It was common knowledge that Harry and Draco were the biggest rivals in school. "Well? Did you find out why?"

"He went into _Borgin and Burkes_ and started bullying the bloke in there, Borgin, to help him fix something. And he said he wanted Borgin to keep something else for him. He made it sound like it was the same kind of thing that needed fixing. Like they were a pair. And…" Harry took a deep breath, as if he were coming to the punch-line of his story. "There's something else. We saw Malfoy jump about a mile when Madam Malkin tried to touch his left arm. I think he's been branded with the Dark Mark. I think he's replaced his father as a Death Eater." They continued talking, Harry vehemently defending his accusation, Mr Weasley not taking it quite as seriously.

A whistle blew and everyone hurried to the train. Theresa made her way to the door, lost in thought. She wished she could say that there was probably nothing to Harry's statement, but she was pretty sure he was right. No matter, she had expected it after all. She relied on it. Still, for Draco's sake she had hoped her premonitions were wrong for once.

She found an empty compartment and walked inside. Her friends would show up eventually and she'd have to make up stories of her holidays, explaining why they hadn't been able to contact her. With difficulty she heaved the trunk up into her arms to store it on the luggage rack. "Why do these things have to be so bloody heavy!" she hissed as it nearly slipped out of her grasp.

"Do you need help with that?" The sound of his deep voice made her go rigid for a moment.

_Now that's the sort of thing my visions could warn me about_, she thought sarcastically. She could think of a whole load of better scenarios in which they could meet than with her more or less losing her balance while lifting a ridiculously heavy trunk.

"I'd be forever in your debt," she answered with a smile as Draco walked into her compartment to help her lift the trunk up onto the rack. He was close enough for her to smell his cologne. She had no idea what it was called, but it had the distinct smell of bergamot, lemon, cedar, moss and a terribly seductive, dangerously masculine, musky note.

It was just her luck that the weakening of her knees fell onto the exact same moment as the lurching of the train as it moved forward. She stumbled right into him, grabbing his shoulder out of reflex. His arms had come up to her waist to catch her and they found each other in a slightly awkward embrace.

"We have to stop bumping into each other like that," he said with a smile. He looked incredibly attractive when he smiled in earnest, not his usual sneering.

"Habits die hard." She replied. It took them a minute before they both became aware of the fact that they were still holding on to each other. Quickly they separated. Her heart was hammering as if she had just run a marathon and her stomach fluttered as if she had swallowed a Snitch.

"Well, thank you for your help," Theresa said, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear, "for both; the trunk and the catching." He smiled again and her legs nearly gave way for a second time. Deciding that standing was a bit too dangerous at the moment she sat down.

"No problem," he said, turning to leave her compartment. Just as he walked through the doorway he looked back at her. "On both accounts," he added then left, probably searching for the compartment his Slytherin friends were in.

_The Slytherin friends that would murder you if they ever found out you like him_, a voice in her head said. _They'd probably have to get in line_, she thought sarcastically. The Gryffindors would get her first.

But this was all the way it was supposed to go, right? That's what her visions showed. Draco Malfoy was the answer to her problems.

At first she had hoped being near Dumbledore in Hogwarts would solve them, but the Headmaster had visited her during the summer. His arm had looked terrible and though she was no expert on curses she was pretty sure that particular one was deadly. Which meant sooner or later, one way or another, Dumbledore wouldn't be able to protect her much longer.

Now she had her own plans and as much as she hated them she was going to see them through. She could only hope her feelings for Draco wouldn't get in the way…


	3. Back in Hogwarts

**Chapter 3:**** Back in Hogwarts**

"I wish they'd hurry up, I'm starving," Lavender howled as a first-year named Adrian Saunders was Sorted into Hufflepuff. Theresa watched the boy hurry off to his table under the applause of his new Housemates.

"I offered you a pie on the train," Parvati reminded her friend.

"I have to watch my figure," Lavender retorted. While half-heartedly listening to her friends' argument Theresa watched Dumbledore. He wasn't clapping like he usually did, probably because of his injured hand. A fleeting wave of irrational anger overcame her. Of course she was aware that he hadn't had himself cursed on purpose, but the fact remained that it had happened and that caused a lot of trouble for her. She could no longer rely on the Headmaster's protection which meant that she had to find an alternative. And that alternative came with a very bitter taste. Well, a slightly sweet one, too, for it gave her a reason (and by extension the courage) to get close to Draco.

"What do you think?" Lavender's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Sorry?" The blonde rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Have you been listening to anything we've been saying?" She sighed. Her friends were used to this sort of behaviour. Theresa often zoned out a bit when she had a premonition. Not that her friends knew the reason, they probably assumed she daydreamed a lot. "I was just saying that I think Ron is looking really good this year," Lavender said with a girlish giggle. Theresa looked down the table at the lanky, red-haired boy, noticing for the first time that Harry was absent.

"Hm." That was odd. Where was he?

"Are you actually ever interested in boys?" asked Lavender, obviously mistaking Theresa's retort for lack of interest in Ron rather than being confused over the absence of the _Chosen One_. No offence to Ron, but he was simply not her type.

She just rolled her eyes at Lavender. Sure they were friends, but Theresa was not about to discuss her boy issues with her. Not with Parvati either for that matter.

Any further conversation however ceased as the table before them filled with food. Theresa hadn't even noticed the Sorting had ended. She herself wasn't feeling particularly hungry. Her eyes strayed over the Great Hall, landing at the Slytherin table. For a while she watched Draco trying to shake off a very clingy Pansy Parkinson. He was having serious trouble eating his food while she constantly threw her arms around him. Theresa couldn't suppress an amused smile. He looked up at her in that moment, discreetly smiling back and rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. She had to grin at that. Fortunately everyone around them was too busy eating to notice the small exchange.

Theresa had never been on bad terms with Draco, despite being labelled a Mudblood. She was not close enough to Harry to take the fire. Draco usually ignored her, but since last year they occasionally had moments like this. He was fairly nice to her and she hoped it meant that he had feelings for her, which would make her plan a lot easier.

And just like that she felt guilty. She was going to play with his feelings. However, if something went wrong it would be him who had to deal with the consequences. This was why she had to keep her own emotions out of the equation.

Harry didn't appear until shortly before dessert was served. He was wearing Muggle clothing and his face was stained with dried blood from his nose. It didn't entirely surprise her to see him covered in blood. It was not the first time and by Merlin it was probably not the last time either.

He sat down with his friends and Hermione siphoned the blood from his face. On a whim Theresa looked over at the Slytherin table again, catching Malfoy simulating the crashing of a nose to howling laughter of his Housemates.

She sighed rubbing over her face with the palms of her hands. There really was no excuse for the horrible things he did sometimes. Not that she particularly cared. She was in no way close to Harry and his friends other than the fact that they were in the same House and even that hadn't exactly been a given. The Sorting Hat had actually wanted to put her in Slytherin, but as a Muggle-born she was certainly not walking into the lion's den (or snake pit as the case would be).

After dessert Dumbledore rose for his usual speech, which began with shock at the sight of his dead-looking right hand. "I wonder what happened to it," Parvati whispered and Theresa shrugged, indicating that she didn't know.

He shrugged it off calmly, proceeding with the usual list of banned objects, now also including any joke items bought at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. After telling people who wanted to try out for the Quidditch teams to speak with their Heads of House he finally introduced their new professor, Slughorn, who would take over Potions class. This caused the second shock of the evening catching Theresa off guard as well. This could only mean one thing…

Unfortunately she was proven right when Dumbledore next announced that Snape would take the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. The Slytherins were the only ones cheering at the news. Snape had never tormented her in Potions the way he did other Gryffindors (mostly because she was an expert at remaining practically unseen). Still she didn't want him in one of her favourite subjects.

Lastly Dumbledore began speaking about Voldemort, telling them that anything suspicious should be immediately reported to a staff member. All the while Draco had been levitating a fork in midair with his wand, obviously not listening to a word the Headmaster was saying. Of course he was perfectly aware of Voldemort's plan to infiltrate Hogwarts as he was a part of it.

_He should be more careful. He's looking way too conspicuous_, she thought, considering that even the other Slytherins were listening to Dumbledore with more or less rapt attention. At least those with a long enough attention span (Crabbe and Goyle had long lost interest in the speech and were flicking pellets of paper at each other). It was obvious that he wasn't taking his assignment very seriously. He probably thought he'd be able to complete his task in record time, garner praise and glory amongst the Death Eaters and be done with it.

Theresa knew it would be everything but easy for him. This year would become very stressful for him. She probably could speed up the completion of his task, but she would need the time and his inner turmoil for her plan to work. She had already set the first milestone. Now all she had to do was wait and let everything unfold.

Dumbledore finally released them to their dormitories. Slowly Theresa got up and made her way to the door.

"Who do you reckon will take Divination? Trelawney or Firenze?" Lavender asked.

"Sixth years will have Trelawney," Theresa said before she could stop herself.

"How do you know?" Parvati inquired.

"I… heard some of the teachers talk about it," she answered, hoping the lie would pass.

"And you're sure? I think I'll ask McGonagall about it tomorrow, just to be sure," Parvati said. Of course she wanted Firenze, the handsome centaur. Personally Theresa preferred men with only two legs, but that was obviously a question of taste.

"You do that. I'm dropping the subject anyway. It's just loads of rubbish what they're teaching us." Having certain clairvoyant abilities herself had brought Theresa nothing in the classes. She was as incompetent in reading out of crystal balls, palms and tea leaves as the rest of them and Firenze's classes had been even worse. She was actually pretty sure the whole mystic nonsense was just for show. She couldn't understand how anyone was supposed to see the future in the way the smoke curled when special herbs were burned and even less in the sediment on the bottom of her tea cup which she generally preferred to throw away.

"You are? Why? You've always been so good at it," Lavender said.

"Not really," she replied. Most of the time when she had gotten something right it was because of her own ability or a lot of guesswork. Ironically, Divination was her worst subject and her least favourite.

They made their way up to their common room and the prefects let them in, telling them the new password in passing. "You guys go ahead, I'm not really tired yet," Theresa said and sat on one of the comfortable armchairs in front of the fireplace while Lavender and Parvati went upstairs.

After a while all the Gryffindors had filed through the portrait hole and gone up to bed so Theresa was alone in the common room. The fire was dancing lively in the fireplace, the movements entrancing. It was in the peace and quiet that Theresa was truly able to relax.

She was torn from her serenity by a soft chirp. She looked down at the floor and had to smile. "Glad to see you made it." To her feet sat an animal that at first glance could easily be mistaken for a simple sable ferret with a bandit mask, deep brown guard hair, cream undercoat, black eyes and a pink nose. Only on second glance did one see the tiny horns that grew on its head and from which the species' name, _horned ferret_, originated.

This particular specimen was a seven-year old female, named Dot for the white spot on its back. Theresa had found her the day she had gone to Diagon Alley to look for school supplies. She had stepped into the _Magical Menagerie_ expecting to leave with an owl, cat or rat (toads never having been an option). Instead she had emerged with this very rare and very sought-after pet. Horned ferrets were extremely smart and had a wide variety of magical traits the full extent of which was yet unknown. Unfortunately they also had a tendency to vanish on occasions.

It was the first year that Theresa actually took Dot to Hogwarts with her. In all the previous years the ferret had remained at home with her uncle. This very morning Dot had made one of her regular disappearances and Theresa had actually thought the ferret had chosen to stay at home again as it usually did. She hadn't been worried, Dot always returned (sometimes in the most unusual ways and circumstances). But somehow (in some way that she was never going to find out about) Dot had made her way from London to Hogwarts and had found Theresa in the Gryffindor common room. It was probably safe to say that it was one of the horned ferret's strange and inexplicable pieces of magic.

Quietly Dot climbed up Theresa's outstretched leg onto her lap, where the little critter curled up into a furry ball. She stroked the silky-soft fur as her mind wandered off again.

She thought of her uncle. He'd be alright. They wouldn't bother going after him, not yet anyway. Not when they had all intention of infiltrating the castle. And after that… She sighed. She really could only hope they'd leave him alone or he had the wit to go into hiding. But she was thinking too far ahead. For now she only had to concentrate on Draco…


	4. Free Period

**Chapter 4:**** Free Period**

The next day started with their timetables being passed out by Professor McGonagall. Theresa waited silently in her seat as McGonagall walked along the table, stopping at every sixth-year to confirm that everyone had achieved the necessary O.W.L. results for their chosen N.E.W.T. classes. Lavender and Parvati were discussing their desired classes and of course their timetables were supposed to be identical.

Hermione Granger rushed off to Ancient Runes after she was cleared to continue with all her chosen subjects. Neville couldn't take part in Transfiguration, but he had gotten an 'Outstanding' in Herbology and 'Exceeds Expectations' in Defence Against the Dark Arts and Charms.

Parvati's first question for McGonagall was whether Firenze or Trelawney taught Divination this year. The answer was the same as Theresa had given her friend. She and Lavender left for Divination looking dejected.

Next was Harry who was cleared to take all the subjects that were needed for becoming an Auror, including Potions since Slughorn was content to take students with 'Exceeds Expectations' in their O.W.L.s. Ron got the same subjects as Harry and the both of them left to enjoy their first free period.

"Weidmann…" said McGonagall, her eyes scanning her notes. "I was very impressed with your O.W.L. results, 'Outstanding' in Transfiguration, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Potions and Arithmancy and 'Exceeds Expectations' in Astronomy, History of Magic, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination." Theresa bit her lower lip. She did not stand out in any of her classes; either with great potential or with great reticence. She had been average in everything, because that was the safest way to remain inconspicuous and unseen. It was a shame really that she was forced to do so, because she really did have great potential in all her classes as her O.W.L.s had shown.

"May I ask why you didn't apply for Divination?" asked McGonagall, "Professor Trelawney told me you were a very capable student and she would have liked to see you in her class again this year."

"I don't like the subject much," Theresa answered truthfully and thought she saw a hint of a smile on McGonagall's face. It wasn't exactly a secret that the Transfiguration teacher disliked the subject of Divination herself.

After a few more moments Theresa was cleared to continue with all her chosen subjects, namely those she had achieved 'Outstanding' in and Astronomy. She had a free period, but wasn't interested to go to the common room so she decided to take a stroll outside.

The sky was surprisingly clear today, but a cold wind was blowing over the land. She sat on a low stone wall in the courtyard and pulled out her Potions book. She skimmed over the index to get an overall view of the potions they would be learning about this year. She flipped to the chapter on Polyjuice Potions and began to read.

"Tell me, is it a general habit of _all_Muggle-borns to spend their free time reading textbooks or is it just you and Granger?" She looked up at the familiar voice though the tone of it was very different to the one most others knew. Usually the tone was arrogant and snide, but he sounded conversational now.

"Just the two of us, I think," she answered and closed the book, looking up at Draco who was now standing in front of her. He had grown taller over the summer and his shoulders were broader, much to her liking. He had a lean, fairly well-toned build. She had never quite understood why he played Seeker for his Quidditch team, he was too tall and heavy for a Seeker, but he'd have a perfect physique for a Chaser. Then again, looking at the gorillas that made up the remainder of the Slytherin team, Draco really was the smallest and most agile.

"May I?" he asked, indicating the space on the wall next to her. She nodded and he sat down, quickly looking around for anyone else who might see them, but they were completely alone. "So, what subjects are you taking this year?" he asked. He was fidgeting with his hands in his lap as if he were slightly nervous.

"Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Arithmancy, Charms, Herbology and Astronomy," she answered. Her heart was pounding in her chest in a way it only ever did in his presence. He was not the first boy she was this close to. She had had a few boyfriends over the holidays, all of them Muggles. But for some reason no other boy had ever managed to make her heart race like that.

"Same for me," he said and she needed a second to remember he was talking about subjects and not racing hearts.

"So we'll be sharing classes this year." A fact she had known prior to this conversation, but he didn't have to know that. A slightly awkward silence fell between them. It was sort of strange sitting together like this. By all means they weren't even supposed to like each other. The whole school would go ballistic. Yet in some way it also felt right.

"How was your summer?" he asked, trying to fill the silence.

"Adventurous. I spent most of it in Germany, looking for that book and for people who might have known my father."

"That's right, you're German aren't you? Weidmann, that's a German name," he said, "I keep forgetting because you don't speak with an accent." She smiled at him for the compliment. Truth was that she was incredibly good at speaking languages with flawless accents, a gift that had come in useful more than once.

"Well, I was born in England. My mother moved here shortly before I was born so English is kind of my native language or at least the one I grew up with most of the time," she explained.

"Can you speak German?"

"Natürlich! Of course," she added when he looked at her questioningly. "I also speak French and Italian."

"No kidding? That's impressive," he said, then smiled. "I only speak English very _goodly_," he joked. She had to laugh and he joined in. Merlin, how she loved the sound of his laugh!

"So, did you find someone who knew your father?" he inquired. As a matter of fact she had managed to track someone down who had been acquainted to her father, but he had died nearly eighteen years ago.

"No, I'm afraid not. My father died sixteen years ago, just after I was born so it's rather difficult to find people he associated with all those years ago." That wasn't entirely true. There were plenty of people she knew, but none that she wanted to talk to about him, because it would be dangerous if they knew who her father had been.

"What about your mother? Can't she tell you something about him?"

"My mother died when I was seven."

"Oh." He looked positively crestfallen, probably due to the fact that he was very uncomfortable with the fact that every longer conversation of theirs seemed to come down to him mentioning a dead relative of hers. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up… I'm really sorry," he apologised.

"It's alright," Theresa said with a shrug. He still seemed to feel bad about bringing up the subject. "Seriously, it's not so bad," she insisted, giving him a smile and placing her hand over his. He looked down at their touching hands as if they were the most interesting thing in the world and if he held only a tiny piece of the affection she harboured for him they probably were the most interesting thing in the world. Her palm felt burning hot, but in a good, tingling way, a feeling that seemed to spread up her arm.

Draco cleared his throat, but kept his hand were it was. "What… What about the book? You said it was your father's. A fairytale collection?"

"Yes. It's really old too, from 1850. It's a family heirloom, signed by the Brothers Grimm themselves," she said proudly.

"That's cool," he said, though he probably didn't even know who the Brothers Grimm had been. Wizards usually didn't know much or anything about Muggle fairytales. "It'll be in German then."

"It is and so is my father's dedication," she said. "My uncle said my mother read to me out of that book when I was small. Unfortunately I don't know where it is now. It was lost in England, but since it's a German book it might have been brought back to Germany or it's in someone's private collection, I don't know." Again she wasn't entirely honest. She didn't know where the book was, that much was true (though she was pretty sure that it still had to be in England), but she did know how it would come to her, because she had already seen it.

Again they fell silent, but this time it wasn't awkward. They just enjoyed each other's presence, the brisk morning wind and the warm touch of their hands that had remained still since she had placed hers over his.

An hour later they reluctantly got up and made their way to Defence Against the Dark Arts. Once they reached the entrance Draco lingered behind so no one would see them together. Slytherin pure-blood and Gryffindor Mudblood was simply beyond the point of tolerance and while Theresa might not have a reputation to lose, Draco did. But this year was beyond the question of reputation, it was a question of life and death. For both of them…

* * *

Well, so far so good. I know there aren't many explanations yet, but they'll come. I'd appreciate a few more comments though. It would be nice if I had five or more before I load the next chapter. Thanks to all those who read the story!


	5. Amortentia

**Chapter 5: ****Amortentia**

Defence Against the Dark Arts turned out to be something of a bore for Theresa. The highlight of the class was Harry's rather cheeky attitude towards Snape. They were supposed to practice Shield Charms non-verbally, a feat Theresa had mastered in her fourth year. As a matter of fact she was the only one in class (including Hermione) who was perfectly capable of performing spells without uttering a word. Like always, however, it was unwise to stick out of the crowd so she pretended to have real difficulty with silent jinxing and shielding (though her pride rejected the idea to try so hard that she turned red in the face like Lavender did).

Hermione managed to repel Neville's Jelly-Legs Jinx without a word about ten minutes into the lesson, which Snape simply ignored. Others merely whispered the incantations as silently as possible.

Sometimes there were moments Theresa wished she could be like the others, not having to learn things like non-verbal spells or Occlumency prior to everyone else. She wished she didn't have to pretend to be incapable of the things that came so easily to her. But she wasn't like others and her situation demanded good preparation and secrecy.

She had Arithmancy next, which went by in a flurry. She didn't pay much attention to the things Professor Vector spoke about, but began with the homework Snape set them. She finished the essay a few minutes before class ended.

Having finished her homework, however, meant that she had to spend her after-lunch free period listening half-heartedly to Lavender, Parvati and Padma talk about boys, in particular about Ron.

"Come now, there must be someone you like," Padma said to Theresa, when she hadn't approved to any of the guys they had mentioned.

Of course there was someone she liked, but she wasn't about to tell them of her infatuation with none other than Draco Malfoy, who wasn't exactly the Gryffindors' favourite Slytherin. "There is that boy that lives down the street from my place, he's very nice," Theresa said instead. If she told them there was someone then at least they'd stop mentioning every male on the school list (well, all males that were not in Slytherin House, because to them it was simply against nature for anyone to like a Slytherin).

"Is he a Muggle?" Parvati asked, interested. Theresa had never discussed her love life with her friends. For all they knew she could have been interested in girls rather than boys (a suggestion Lavender had made on more than one occasion).

"Yep." She got up just as the bell rang for her afternoon double Potions lesson. She was very interested about how Potions was going to be with Slughorn. She had a general idea about him but it had yet to be confirmed or refuted. He seemed like a generally laid-back person, he wasn't biased like Snape, but from what she had heard in the Hogwarts Express (something about a Slug Club) and from her premonitions he liked picking favourites. He had good connections to various people and he was easily manipulated if one simply knew how to approach him.

Theresa made her way down to the dungeon classroom. Arriving in front of the classroom she saw that only four Ravenclaws, one Hufflepuff (a terribly pompous boy named Ernie Macmillan) and four Slytherins (Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson and Draco) had made it to N.E.W.T. level.

Draco gave her a nearly imperceptible nod and a faint smile, while the rest of them, most of all Parkinson, scowled at her as if she was a particularly disgusting slug. Soon after Harry, Ron and Hermione arrived and were greeted by Macmillan, but before they could say much to him, Slughorn came out the door, greeting Harry and Zabini with much enthusiasm while practically ignoring everyone else.

The Slytherins took a table for themselves and so did the Ravenclaws. Since sitting alone usually drew more attention than sitting in a group, Theresa decided to join her Housemates and Macmillan at a table nearest a gold-coloured cauldron.

Theresa instinctively inhaled deeper as the scent of bergamot, lemon, cedar, moss and that overwhelming, masculine musk wafted up from the cauldron. She had a pretty good idea of what potion was bubbling in that cauldron. There was only one potion that would smell like Draco's cologne to her. Amortentia. She looked over to where the Slytherins were sitting. Draco was staring at the cauldron with a slightly hazy expression.

Draco had walked past the table were the Gryffindors and that Hufflepuff sat now. It had taken all his willpower to continue on his way and not bend over that golden cauldron and inhale as much of that intoxicating, fruity smell of jasmine, blackcurrant tea, vanilla and plum as he possibly could. It was Theresa's signature scent no doubt.

He sat down next to Pansy, but couldn't keep his eyes from the cauldron while Theresa's scent seemed to be filling the room. His thoughts became slightly fuzzy as he inhaled slowly and deeply and he had difficulty concentrating on anything not related with the girl of his dreams. He couldn't quite help the stupid grin that stole over his face as a great contentment settled over him.

"Now then, now then, now then," said Slughorn. "Scales out, everyone and potion kits, and don't forget your copies of _Advanced Potion-Making_…" The teacher's voice pulled Draco out of his happy reverie and he unpacked his things, shaking his head to clear it, but he couldn't quite get a full grip on his thoughts, which kept straying back to Theresa.

He didn't know what sort of attraction she had on him only that it was incredibly strong. He had actually told himself that he would stay away from her. After all, she was a Gryffindor and a Muggle-born and he was a Slytherin, pure-blood and a Death Eater. There was no chance for them, and besides, her being nice to him didn't mean she felt the same way about him as he felt about her. In spite of that he had not managed to stay true to his decision. He simply couldn't keep himself from seeking her out when she was alone. Draco needed Theresa's presence, her closeness. He wanted her to be his, no matter how impossible the thought seemed. And more importantly he wanted to be all hers, which was something he had never felt before in his life.

He only half listened as Granger named and explained the effects of the different potions Slughorn had set up all around the room. He actually had recognised the Polyjuice Potion himself, too.

They were speaking of the sweet smelling potion in the golden cauldron by the Gryffindor table. It was Amortentia, the strongest love potion in the world. On the outside Draco acted like he always did, making a snide comment to Theo when Granger confessed to being a Muggle-born after Slughorn asked her whether she was related to someone called Hector Dagworth-Granger. Admittedly he was rather taken aback when Slughorn beamed at her and awarded her twenty-points, which was terribly out of place in this classroom that had been Snape's for so long. Still, he was constantly reminded that Granger wasn't the only Muggle-born in the room and the other one attracted him like a moth to the flame.

"Amortentia doesn't create _love_, of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love," Slughorn explained, effectively destroying Draco's little daydream of slipping Theresa a love potion. He didn't want something fake. He could have that with Pansy. "No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room." Draco dutifully smirked sceptically with Theodore, though he was perfectly willing to believe Slughorn's words to be true. "Oh yes," Slughorn said to the two of them, "when you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love…"

_Tell me about it_, Draco thought and stole a glance at Theresa, whose eyes were fixed on a notebook she was writing in, paying little attention to what Slughorn said. He found himself getting lost in the way the lights in the room reflected as golden specks on her chocolate brown hair, the way she absentmindedly pushed a strand behind her ear, her fingertips trailing down to the corner of her jaw before breaking contact with her skin and sinking back to the table and the way she bit down on her lower lip as she concentrated.

"It's liquid luck." Granger's voice broke through to him, tearing him from his little daze. "It makes you lucky!" He found himself sitting up straight and giving Slughorn his undivided attention, battling with the haziness the love potion's fumes still caused. A lucky potion was just what he needed. With that his mission would be over in no time.

Theresa's interest in class was waning. There was nothing she hadn't already known. Instead she pulled out her little notebook and began to write, inspired by Amortentia's fumes. Music was one of her greatest hobbies (next to cooking and baking) and she was fairly good at it. She had learned to play the guitar and she wasn't too bad with the piano and she loved singing.

The Felix Felicis did not come unexpected to her, she had seen it in one of her premonitions and she also knew that she mustn't get it. Her plans needed time to form (well, not just hers) and if she or Draco won the potion he would finish his mission too soon.

Slowly she packed her notebook away and began working on the Draught of Living Death as Slughorn ordered. Potions was perhaps not her best subject, but she was good enough to never having been taunted by Snape and that did mean something. Everyone else around her worked desperately to win that little flask of luck.

Draco was feverishly trying his best as he obviously couldn't expect any preferential treatment from Slughorn. He was actually really good in Potions. He usually excelled in this subject and not just because he was Snape's favourite student. But he seemed slightly distracted. It wasn't anything one saw with a passing glance, but she noticed the way he would lift an ingredient only to stop himself, put it down and take up another to toss into his cauldron or the way a distant expression would cross over his face for a few seconds after which he always gave the Amortentia a furious look. Theresa nearly snickered. He really was distracted by nothing else than obsessive love…


	6. Moving a Cabinet

**Chapter 6: Moving a Cabinet**

It was Saturday evening and Theresa walked through the empty corridors. It was only half past six so it was still far from curfew, but most of the students were either still down in the Great Hall for dinner, in the library doing some last minute research on homework or already chatting with friends in their common rooms. When she reached the seventh floor she marched straight up to the gargoyle that hid the entrance to the Headmaster's office.

"Acid Pops," she said and the gargoyle became alive and leapt aside, revealing a spiral stone staircase that moved up like an escalator. She stepped onto the staircase and waited as it moved upwards until it stopped and Theresa stood before a highly polished oak door with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin.

She knocked and entered after she heard Dumbledore telling her to. The Headmaster's office was a large and beautiful circular room with many windows. Sunlight was pouring in through the windows facing west. The walls were covered in portraits of all the previous Headmasters and Headmistresses and there was a shelf immediately behind the desk which held the Sorting Hat and the sword of Gryffindor in a glass case. The desk itself faced the entrance and was enormous and claw-footed with a polished surface, though it was mostly covered by papers and a silver ink pot with a phoenix-feather quill. All around the room stood spindly-legged tables with strange silver instruments. Theresa recognised only a Sneakoscope and a Foe-Glass; the other objects were unfamiliar to her. Fawkes, the phoenix, was sitting on his perch just behind the door, eyeing her interestedly. Dumbledore himself was sitting behind his desk on his high-backed chair.

"Good evening, Theresa. Do sit down," Dumbledore said, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk with his uninjured hand.

"Good evening, Professor," she replied politely and sat down. Dumbledore looked tired and much older than he usually did. His hand was still blackened and dead-looking. "By all means, Professor, I'm not entirely sure why you wished to see me tonight. We've already discussed everything in the summer," she said, keeping her eyes on him. His piercing blue eyes seemed like they x-rayed her, but her pride would not allow her to look away. She wasn't worried that he'd use Legilimency on her. After all he had trained her in Occlumency himself in her third year and knew how good she was.

"I just wished to ask you if you have already made other arrangements," he said. She knew what he meant.

"I have. I can't escape him forever," she answered. No, now that Dumbledore's time was running out Voldemort would get his hands on her sooner or later. It was only a matter of making the situation turn out in her favour instead of Voldemort's.

"So you wish to use Mr Malfoy." Once again the Headmaster showed his very annoying trait of always being too well informed. Not that she cared much; it was for the better if he knew what was happening.

"That is my intention, yes."

Dumbledore stared at the girl before him. She had always been much more mature than her classmates. She had to be. Looking at her now he had to remind himself that she was no longer the little child she used to be though he remembered the time well when she had sat in this office for the first time.

"_I have heard you're rather reserved towards other students," Dumbledore said. Theresa shot a glance in Snape's direction, who stood by the window. It had been him who had reported her to the Headmaster and she obviously knew that._

"_Maybe." She had crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking quite unwilling to discuss her behaviour. _

"_Why is that so, Theresa? Don't you want to be friends with your classmates?" She remained silent for a while as if contemplating whether to answer at all. It was obvious that she was used to doing things alone and didn't want others interfering with her matters._

"_When I'm close to someone I can see their future; some things I want to change. But I can't. I shouldn't." Dumbledore gave an understanding nod._

"_One shouldn't meddle with fate," he agreed. Silence overcame the office again. "What about Draco Malfoy? You can see parts of his future, don't you?" She nodded. Theresa had predicted that Draco Malfoy would join the Slytherin Quidditch team in his second year the day she was accepted to Hogwarts, even before she even knew who Draco Malfoy was. "But you are not close to him?" This time she shook her head, flushing slightly at the prospect of being close to a boy. "Why is it you can see his future then?"_

"_I don't know," she answered shortly, her lips pressed together tightly. He could tell she no longer wanted to talk to him._

"_Very well, you may go." Once the girl was out the door Snape walked up to her deserted chair and sat down._

"_Care to share your thoughts?"_

"_She is definitely intriguing," Dumbledore said. "She's probably the first true clairvoyant in over two-hundred years and she seems to have learned to control her ability, which is impressive for a twelve-year old."_

"_You believe she can control it?"_

"_I believe that most premonitions come to her spontaneously, but I think she has learned to enter a certain state of mind that encourages premonitions."_

"_Can she control the subject of her visions?"_

"_Perhaps, if she concentrates hard enough on something or someone. But most premonitions revolve around things and people that directly affect her," Dumbledore said, looking at the door where she had disappeared._

"_But what about Draco? He doesn't concern her," Snape inquired._

"_Not yet, but perhaps their paths are meant to cross in the future. Fate has strange ways of working." Dumbledore leaned back, staring out the window pensively. "Keep an eye on her, Severus. I think she still has a big part to play in the shaping of our world."_

It was not long after this discussion with Theresa that she had befriended the Patil twins and Lavender Brown, though Dumbledore believed them to be more of a cover for her. She wasn't close to anyone. No one knew who she really was. Even her friends probably couldn't tell him as much as her favourite colour. She had successfully remained a mystery in all her five years at Hogwarts, always hiding in plain sight.

She often reminded him very much of Tom Riddle, who preferred to operate alone, too. But their reasons were different. While Riddle chose to stay alone because he wanted it so, Theresa had no choice. To see the future meant having a great responsibility and it hurt her when she knew people she loved were going to come to harm and she couldn't do anything about it. This was something he knew she had experienced the hard way. But meddling with the future was a dangerous business, one she had become rather apt at, but any mistake on her part could cause tremendous damage.

Unfortunately he had been right. She did have a part to play in this war. Voldemort wanted her for her ability to see the future. How he had gotten word of it, Dumbledore did not know. Apart from himself, Severus (who would never have betrayed the secret) and Theresa he had believed no one knew about her gift. Dumbledore would not be around much longer to protect her and nobody else could take over that position without being privy of her secret.

Dumbledore knew that she had taught herself advanced magic since her first year, having mastered things that her classmates were only just learning. He had taught her a few things himself. He could not always be there for her and especially during the summer holidays, when she was completely unprotected and on her own, it was important that she could defend herself if she was attacked. Fortunately the girl was also immensely capable of disappearing, knowing all the tricks of the Muggle world (which was rather unfamiliar territory for most Death Eaters) and how to get around without drawing attention to herself (which she had demonstrated for five years here in school).

Again he looked up at the girl seated before him. She had a confident, proud air (much like her father) and she had turned out to be quite a beauty (like her mother). She could probably make Draco Malfoy fall for her without much difficulty (from what Severus had said, the boy had already taken a fancy to her). But as cold and calculating as she could sometimes be (another trait she had inherited from her father), he wasn't sure if she was really able to keep her own feelings at bay. Her father hadn't managed and it had been his undoing. She was playing with fire and he could only hope she wouldn't get burned (or that she burned the young Mr Malfoy).

"I hope you know what you're doing," Dumbledore said. She nodded. "You may go then." He dismissed her and she grabbed her book bag and got up to leave.

Draco was levitating the large black Cabinet in front of him. His heart was hammering in his ears and he expected to be caught at any moment. Still, it had to be done. He couldn't repair the Vanishing Cabinet in that deserted classroom on the first floor. He needed a place where he could be alone and less detectable.

He heard footsteps behind him and nearly jumped out of his skin, letting the Cabinet drop the few inches to the ground. Despite the short fall there was a telltale crash that spoke of even more damage that had to be repaired. Not caring about that now he spun around to look down the previously empty seventh-floor corridor and his heart began to pound for a very different reason. Theresa was coming towards him and he couldn't help but notice the way her hips swayed from side to side gracefully with every step. There was an almost feline quality to her gate.

"Where did you want to bring that to?" She asked, pointing to the Cabinet. Draco felt his face grow warm again, much the way it had when she had caught him coming out of _Borgin and Burkes_. Why was it that she constantly found him in such compromising situations? What was he supposed to tell her?

"Er… I… I wanted to bring it to…" He was thinking feverishly of a place to say.

"Well, unless this was meant as a gift for the Gryffindors I imagine the Room of Requirement is the nearest." He looked at her dumbstruck. Did she know something or was it just lucky guesswork? "Do you want my help?" she asked after he had remained silent, which seemed to confirm her guess. Before he could answer she opened her book bag and something small and furry jumped out. When it sat on the ground, he recognised it to be a sable ferret with a white spot on its back. He looked up at her questioningly then did a double take. The ferret had horns.

"What the…"

"It's a horned ferret. They're really rare and very useful for night time excursions of questionable legality," she said with a mischievous smile. She bent down to the ferret and whispered, "Go ahead and keep a lookout." To Draco's great surprise the animal chirped and scurried down the corridor and out of sight.

"I must say it is quite impressive that you managed to bring the Vanishing Cabinet all the way from the first floor without any lookouts. You could have been caught by someone other than me and then how would you have explained this?" She pointed her wand at the Cabinet and it rose a few inches off the ground.

Draco was too stunned at what she had said to even notice her perfect use of non-verbal magic. She began to walk towards the Room of Requirement, the Cabinet floating along in front of her. After a moment Draco was torn from his shock and ran after Theresa, falling into step beside her. Silently they walked down the corridor together until a chirp sounded loudly through the hallway.

"Someone's coming," Theresa said, grabbed Draco by the arm and pulled him into an alcove behind a tapestry, carefully setting the Cabinet down by the wall next to a suit or armour. He could hear footsteps coming nearer.

"Wonder what that is," a girl said and though he couldn't see it, he was sure she was approaching the Cabinet.

"Looks like a broken closet or something. Peeves probably broke it. Come on, Romilda," another girl said and he could hear their footsteps growing distant again. Draco exhaled the breath he hadn't even noticed he had been holding.

"Seems like they're gone," Theresa said and he became strangely aware of their proximity and the heat rising in him. The alcove was rather small and they stood facing each other, barely an inch between them. He could smell her perfume again and found himself inhaling a bit deeper, the scent jumbling any clear thought he tried to grasp.

She looked up at him and his gaze shifted to her eyes. She had such beautiful eyes. They were nearly the exact same shade of brown as her hair, only a touch darker. Her irises were lighter in the centre, darkening towards the outer edge. But what amazed him the most were the specks of gold that floated in those chocolate pools. He was drowning in those eyes, completely unable to tear his gaze away from them. Draco had no idea how long they stood there, just looking in each other's eyes but he could have stood there all night for all he cared.

"We should probably get going," Theresa said, looking away and breaking the spell.

"Right," he replied, feeling disappointed. They came out from behind the tapestry and Draco levitated the Vanishing Cabinet again.

The rest of the way went by with no incident. They reached the Room of Requirement where the ferret was sitting beneath the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls ballet. Draco paced up and down three times, thinking '_I need a place to hide and repair the Vanishing Cabinet_' while he did so. A door appeared where there had been a blank stretch of wall a moment ago. He entered to find a cathedral-sized room with high, grimy windows. It was full of curious objects. There was broken and damaged furniture, thousands and thousands of books, winged catapults, Fanged Frisbees, broken bottles of congealed potions, hats, jewels, cloaks, something that looked like dragon eggshells, corked bottles with liquids that shimmered strangely, rusting swords, a bloodstained axe and even an enormous stuffed troll. All the forbidden things hundreds of generations of students (and possibly teachers) had hidden.

"It's the Room of Hidden Things," Theresa explained stepping in behind him. He levitated the Cabinet to a clear area in the back of the room. There was a fireplace there though it looked like it hadn't been used for centuries.

Together Draco and Theresa left the Room of Requirement. As the door closed Draco rounded on Theresa. "Why are you helping me?" The question had been burning in him this entire time.

To his surprise she smiled at him and moved closer until she stood right in front of him, even nearer than they had been in the alcove. "I already told you on the train, I'm in your debt," she said and kissed him. Their lips only touched for a moment, but it felt like an eternity. His heart, which had stopped beating for that short moment, was now beating all the faster, happiness and exhilaration spreading through him and his stomach feeling like someone had set fireworks loose in it. He watched as she spun around and left with the horned ferret in her wake.

He did not know how it felt to drink Felix Felicis as he hadn't won the lucky potion in class, but he was sure it had to feel something like this…


	7. Something That Will Last

**Chapter 7:**** Something That Will Last**

As expected free periods quickly went from times of relaxation to much needed time to finish the huge amounts of homework. Classes were becoming much more difficult. Even Hermione needed instructions to be repeated.

Non-verbal spells were now expected not just in Defence Against the Dark Arts, but also in Transfiguration and Charms. Theresa liked spending her free hours in the common room watching as her classmates turned purple in the face from concentration as they struggled to cast spells without saying the incantations aloud. It was a rather amusing sight.

But as Lavender, Parvati and Padma increasingly relied on their friend to help them with homework Theresa was forced to find new spots far away from the common room or the library when she wanted some peace and quiet. She usually hid in an empty classroom or went outside, sometimes being accompanied by Dot.

The downside was that she hadn't seen Draco outside of class all week. If he wasn't in class he spent nearly all his time in the Room of Requirement. She just hoped he wouldn't forget to eat and sleep.

"Are you coming down to the Quidditch pitch with us?" Parvati asked over breakfast Saturday morning.

"What for?" Theresa really didn't see the point of going down to the pitch. There wasn't a match on today.

"They're having try-outs today," Lavender said excitedly. Theresa just rolled her eyes. Lavender wanted to cheer on the candidates (or more specifically, she wanted to cheer on Ron). Theresa didn't see the redhead sitting at the table and neither was Hermione, Harry, Ginny and a few others so she assumed they had already gone down to the pitch.

"No, I think I'd rather get some homework done," Theresa lied.

"Suit yourself," Lavender said and she and Parvati left. Theresa opened up her _Daily Prophet_, scanning it for any important news. No one seemed to have died recently, but someone named Stan Shunpike had been arrested. The name rang a bell, but she couldn't put a finger on where she had heard it before. Not that it mattered to her.

After she had finished breakfast she went back to the common room, dodging Peeves through one of the many short-cuts. She sat down on her bed in the dormitory and pulled out her notebook. She had finished her homework for the weekend in her last Arithmancy lesson. So she decided to go after her hobby. From beneath her bed she pulled out an old acoustic guitar that had once been her mother's. Dot had managed to squeeze past the strings and had curled up inside the instrument for her daily nap just after breakfast.

"You'll have to find some other sleeping place today," Theresa told the ferret as it climbed out of the sound hole, yawning and stretching. She got up, leaving Dot to curl up on her pillow, and walked out of the dormitory. She considered staying in the common room, but a couple of students were doing their homework there and she didn't want to distract or annoy them so she stepped through the portrait hole and made her way outside. The weather was still surprisingly sunny though the wind was getting colder. She sat down cross-legged on the low wall in the courtyard and placed the guitar on her lap.

"I had no idea you could play the guitar." Theresa admitted that she was having something of a deja-vu, which in general wasn't a strange feeling to her, because she often saw situations before they happened, but this was different. She looked up at Draco Malfoy as he made his way across the courtyard. He looked exhausted and a bit haggard.

"My, my, Draco Malfoy out in the sunlight! I could have sworn you'd burst into flames," she joked and he gave her a tired grin.

"Very funny, Weidmann," he said and sat down next to her. "If you must know, I've been busy."

"That would have been my second guess," she said, smiling at him.

"Listen, about last Saturday… that kiss…" Again he was fumbling with his hands and he was turning slightly pink in the face. Draco Malfoy blushing! That was surely a rare enough sight. "Did you actually… I mean did you really… or was that just…" She couldn't help but grin at his feeble attempts to vocalize his concerns. After another moment of stuttering he sighed and slumped slightly. "I'm not really good at this, am I?"

"No, but I love watching you try," she said, barely containing her laughter. But he had to laugh himself and they ended up laughing together. A few Hufflepuff first-years that came by goggled at them, completely baffled. Once they had calmed down again Theresa said, "Look, I don't ever kiss guys just for the heck of it nor because I have to."

"Oh," was his comment and his flush became a deeper shade of pink. "That's good. I mean…" But before he could finish his sentence (which most likely would end up in stammering again anyway) she put her hand on his cheek and turned his face towards her, placing her lips on his, kissing him deeply. He had amazingly soft and warm lips and that irresistible smell around him filled her up like drink. Her insides fluttered like a swarm of Snitches and her heart was beating as if it were trying to break free. She was feeling oddly hot, too, though in a nice way, seemingly no longer susceptible to the chilly wind.

Unfortunately they drew apart all too soon. They both knew that such open displays of liking each other could cause serious trouble with the other students and particularly Draco could not afford the wrong rumours to reach the Death Eaters.

Theresa was breathing a little quicker and so was Draco. She bit on her lower lip, trying to collect herself. Draco had a look about him as if he had just been Confunded. Words simply could not explain the wave of emotions and sensations that had coursed through her body a moment ago.

_Bloody hell, Theresa, stay focused! You have a plan, remember?_ She chided herself mentally. Taking a deep breath, she looked up towards him. "Do you want to hear a piece?" For a moment he looked at her questioningly, but then understanding crossed his face and he looked down at her guitar.

"Oh, yeah, I'd love to," he said in earnest interest. She flipped open her notebook to the song she had been working on last.

"Promise you won't laugh," she said and he grinned.

"I can't do that," he replied and she playfully hit his arm. Still, she picked up her guitar and strummed a few chords, tuning it slightly. She hadn't had time to use it all summer. Hopefully she wasn't too out of practice. She began strumming the tune of the song. "It's called 'Something That Will Last'," she informed him and then began to sing:

"_Tell me this place is safe  
and everything good here will stay.  
And that the word you give me today  
will still have meaning tomorrow.  
This world spins fast  
and has forgotten to take a rest,  
For temptations set their time limit.  
But please promise that when I come again  
everything will still be the same._

Give me a little bit of guaranty  
in a world where nothing seems certain.  
In these fast times

_give me something that will last.  
Just give me a bit of security,  
just cosy me along.  
Take me out of these fast times  
and slow me down a little.  
Give me something that will last._"

She vaguely noticed a small crowd gathering, a few students and teachers (amongst them McGonagall, Snape and Slughorn).

"_Even when this world loses all sanity,  
this here will remain untouched.  
Nothing will happen._

Give me a little bit of guaranty  
in a world where nothing is certain.  
In these fast times

_give me something that will last.  
Just give me a bit of security,  
just cosy me along.  
Take me out of these fast times  
and slow me down a little.  
Give me something that will last._"

When she finished playing out the last tunes of the song the others applauded. She wasn't entirely surprised to find that Draco wasn't sitting next to her anymore, but stood in the crowd, pretending to have only just arrived, attracted like everyone else by the music.

The crowd was quickly thinning as everyone went about to do their business. Draco made a show of rummaging through his book bag as if he were searching for something.

"That's some amazing voice you've got there, Miss…" Slughorn approached her.

"Theresa Weidmann," she said. She had already noticed that Slughorn had a poor memory concerning names of those who were not members of the Slug Club.

"I'm hosting a small dinner tonight in my office. Just a few select students. Perhaps you would like to join," he said. She really didn't, but she knew that she had to from her visions.

"Well, I don't know. I suppose –" But he didn't even let her finish, taking it as an acceptance already though the sentence could have ended very differently.

"Excellent. I'll be expecting you in my office around seven." With that he strode off, leaving her and Draco (who was still pretending to be searching through his bag) alone. Once they were completely to themselves again Draco righted himself and came back over to her, sitting back down by her side.

"There goes my free evening," she said with a deep sigh, making it plain that she really didn't want to go to the dinner with Slughorn, because Draco had looked anything but happy that she had gotten an invitation. It was still very new to him that a Slytherin teacher would not give him preferential treatment.

"Well, for all its worth, I thought that was pretty amazing, too," he said and she smiled at him.

"I think that's worth quite a lot," Theresa said, leaning towards him. Their lips met in the middle and this time the kiss was longer and even more intense than before. They only drew apart when they heard someone laugh loudly somewhere nearby in the castle. "If we continue doing this, I think we'll have to find a place that's a little more… secret," Theresa reckoned. Instead of answering he kissed her again, drawing her closer with his hand on the small of her back, while she absent-mindedly put down her guitar leaning it against the wall behind her so it wouldn't be in the way…


	8. Help

**Chapter 8:**** Help**

Despite having established some sort of connection to Draco, Theresa saw him only rarely in privacy. He still spent most of his free time in the Room of Requirement. She didn't want to push him too far so she contented herself with the bit of time he would spend with her in an empty classroom or a deserted corridor, which was barely more than ten to fifteen minutes at the end of a free period or while everyone was still in the Great Hall eating breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Being with him was more fun than she had imagined. He had a great sense of humour and they spent much time laughing and joking together. This was a side of him most of her fellow Gryffindors would never get to see and Theresa had the suspicion that many Slytherins didn't get to see it either. He was also a great kisser, something she much appreciated though it made her resolution to stay detached a whole lot more difficult to uphold. Strangely enough she felt more comfortable around Draco than she had around anyone else for years.

"We'll be… late… for… Trans… figuration," Theresa said between kisses. She was standing with her back to the wall, Draco's body pinning her to it.

"So what?" he asked and began kissing a hot path down her throat. She was about to give in to the little voice in the back of her head that was telling her that he was right, but she didn't want the two of them to get in trouble.

"Detention won't help you getting along with that task of yours," she said and he reluctantly moved away. It was no secret between them that there was a task for him to do though they stayed off the topic of what it was and for whom he had to do it. Theresa already knew the truth, but Draco didn't know that.

"Fine," he said with disappointment in his voice. She had to smile. Together they left the classroom and walked down the empty corridor. Voices could be heard from around the corner as they approached the main stream of students. Before they came into view of other students Draco pulled her into his embrace and kissed her deeply, leaving her momentarily breathless and weak-kneed. "See you in class." With that he rounded the corner first and disappeared in the crowd. She waited two minutes then followed suit.

She reached Transfiguration a few minutes after him and stood with Parvati and Lavender. "Where have you been?" Parvati asked slightly agitated at her friend's constant disappearances.

"I had to finish my Transfiguration homework so I was in the library," Theresa quickly lied, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Parkinson was rounding on Draco in a very similar fashion.

"You're spending an awful lot of time in the library lately," Lavender noticed. It was thanks to years of practice that Theresa managed to keep a straight face. What she wouldn't give to see their faces if they found out what she was really doing or more importantly; with whom.

"Well, we have a lot of work to do this year and I want to be prepared for our N.E.W.T.s." Not that she needed to prepare for that.

Transfiguration went by slowly. Vanishing vertebrates was an old topic made difficult only by the forbiddance to say the incantation aloud. Theresa was staring absentmindedly at the rat she was supposed to make disappear. She could have done it in a heartbeat, but like always it was necessary to restrain herself so by the end of the lesson Hermione was the only one who had successfully vanished her racoon.

"Mr Malfoy, I wish to talk to you," McGonagall called after Draco just as he was trying to leave. Reluctantly he made his way over to her while the others filed out. Theresa got out and walked down the corridor a short way until she got to the staircase that led up to the fifth floor. She stood next to a suit of armour, a tapestry depicting two greyhounds right behind her. The tapestry covered the entrance to a secret passageway leading down to the third floor where they'd have Charms next.

She had to wait several minutes, but then she spotted Draco. He saw her and unobtrusively moved in her direction. Satisfied that he had seen her, Theresa slipped behind the tapestry and waited for him to follow her. When he finally stood before her he looked livid.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"She gave me detention!" he growled, his teeth clenched in an attempt to remain quiet and not alert half the school to their whereabouts.

"Why in the world did she give you detention?" Theresa asked though she already knew.

"I didn't get my homework done for the second time," he admitted. They began to walk down the narrow spiral steps. She knew he was so angry because it disrupted his plans for their first Hogsmeade weekend.

"Why didn't you say something? You could have done it in our free period earlier."

"I didn't even start on it. I would never have gotten a satisfactory result in fifteen minutes. She would have given me detention one way or another. I just don't have time for homework, I have to…" he trailed off as he realised what subject he was coming close to. It took him a moment to notice that Theresa had stopped moving. "What's wrong?"

"I think it might be time for a confession," she said and he looked at her questioningly. "I know who you're working for." His questioning expression formed into one of utter horror.

"What? But… how?"

"It wasn't so difficult to tell, really. You weren't exactly inconspicuous at first. It was only a matter of putting two and two together," she said with a shrug. Well, that was a half-lie. He had been rather obvious, but she had known it for a lot longer.

"How long have you known this?"

"Since the start of term," Theresa lied.

"Since the start of term?" he repeated incredulously. "Are you telling me that you've been seeing me secretly despite me working for…You-Know-Who?" Draco had practically whispered the last part as if he feared someone might overhear him.

"I don't care who you're working for, Draco," she said, stepping down to him until she stood one step above him, looking deeply into his stormy grey eyes. He had such perfect eyes. She could probably find every possible shade of grey in those eyes. They looked like thunder clouds contained by razor-thin circles of ink-black. It was so easy to get lost in them.

_Earth to Theresa! You're working here_, she chided herself, pulling herself out of her trance. "But I do care for you. I see you struggling every day. I don't want to see you get hurt." She moved even closer so their foreheads touched and she brought her hand up to the back of his neck, stroking it the way she knew made him calm down. "I want to help you." This time he looked up.

"I don't want you to get involved in all this, Theresa," Draco said, taking a step away from her.

"I'm already involved and I want to be. Please, Draco, let me help you," Theresa pleaded, coming close to him again, wrapping her arms around him. Slowly his arms came up to encircle her waist.

"I could never forgive myself if you would get hurt," he whispered right by her ear, his breath tickling her skin, making a shiver run down her back.

"No one needs to know." She loosened her hold on him and looked him in the eyes.

"How can I let you help me? How could you want to?" he asked turning away from her and staring at the wall. "You're a Muggle-born. You're the sort we… the Death Eaters try to get rid of. If you were to help me you'd be signing your own death sentence."

"And you've already signed yours," Theresa replied agitatedly, grabbing him by the left arm and pulling his sleeve up. She nearly jumped at the sight of the Dark Mark, though she had known it to be there. Draco wrenched his arm out of her grip and drew his sleeve back over the Mark, avoiding all eye contact with her. She stepped up to him and placed her hand on his cheek, turning his face towards her, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "He'll kill you if you don't manage to fulfil your task and I won't let that happen," she said calmly. "I want to know you're safe."

In the next moment Theresa found herself in a tight embrace. She knew Draco wasn't hugging her in thankfulness, but out of need for comforting. He just needed someone to hold on to for the moment. Theresa had mentioned a touchy subject. By now Draco was perfectly aware of what was going to happen with him if he did not finish his mission. He tried not to think of his fate, but it was lingering over him like a dark cloud at all times.

Theresa put her arms around his shoulders in return. What did it matter if they missed Charms? This was more important. She was getting what she wanted, what she needed. Wasn't she?

Having told Lavender and Parvati that she had missed Charms due to feeling ill Theresa had had no choice but go up to bed early that evening. Light from the sunset was pouring in from the windows facing west.

Theresa sat on her bed, Dot sitting in front of her. The little ferret was watching her attentively and she stretched out her hand to scratch its head. It snuggled against her hand like a cat. "This is the right thing to do isn't it?" Theresa asked the animal, which chirped affectionately as it was rubbed behind the ear.

She thought about what she was going to do, picking up a gold coin that was lying before her on the bedspread. Draco had cast a Protean Charm on it much like Hermione had done the previous year to contact the members of the DA. It was very advanced Transfiguration and Theresa was impressed that he could do it. Then again, he was very smart and a quick learner.

This coin however wasn't meant for Theresa. It would be going into different hands coming Saturday and she would deliver it. She was going to do terrible things on Saturday and she did not know whether she would ever be forgiven or if she could forgive herself for it. But she had to do it. This was the only way to make Draco trust her and to have a certain amount of influence on him. But did the end justify the means? She hoped so…


	9. The Necklace

**Chapter 9:**** The Necklace**

Theresa woke up early on Saturday, squinting out the window at a cold, grey and uninviting world. The icy October weather fit her mood. Slowly and with a feeling of anxiety in her stomach she got out of bed and got ready for the day, dressing thickly against the cold. She was going to meet Lavender, Parvati and Padma in the Entrance Hall after breakfast and go to Hogsmeade with them.

Quietly she made her way out of the dormitory trying not to wake the others. It was still a little early for breakfast so she sat down in front of the fireplace in the common room, mentally going through her plans for today. Only Parvati's and Lavender's giggling as they came down the stairs pulled her out of her thoughts.

"How long have you been up already?" Parvati asked as they made their way down to the Great Hall.

"Not long," Theresa lied and sat down. She was not hungry and the thought of what the day would bring made her stomach rebel against the toast that she forced down, but on the outside she remained calm as always.

"I've been looking forward to this trip since the start of term and now this!" Lavender whined, looking up at the grey, cloudy ceiling. Once they were past Filch who had jabbed his Secrecy Sensors at them, they pulled their scarves tighter around their faces, any exposed skin soon feeling raw and numb. The road into Hogsmeade was full of students bent double against the bitter wind and Theresa dearly wished she could have stayed in her warm bed.

"I'll see you guys at the Three Broomsticks, I still have to take care of something," Theresa shouted at her friends over the wind and slipped past a crowd of witches and wizards hurrying from shop to shop before her friends could reply.

She made her way to the post office. Inside it was warm and she thankfully pulled the scarf down. She looked at the perches for the over three hundred owls. Purposefully she stepped up to the counter and rang a small bell.

The proprietor of the owl office came out of the back of the office soon after. "How may I help you, Miss?"

"I'm here to pick up a package for a friend who can't make it in today. Draco Malfoy." He looked sceptically at her and she pulled a slip of paper out of her pocket. Draco had written it for her so she'd have the authorization to receive the package instead of him. The man looked down at the note and nodded.

As he left to fetch the package, Theresa put the slip back in her pocket to leave no evidence behind. "Here you are, Miss," the man said handing her a brown-paper package. Knowing what was in it Theresa was glad she had kept her gloves on despite her palms sweating in them in the warm shop. She took it with a thank-you and made to leave the shop.

As the man turned his back on her she pointed her wand at him and silently murmured, "_Obliviate_." He instantly went rigid and empty-eyed. "You've never seen me, the note or this package," she ordered and left the shop. He would not remember she was sure of that.

With the package securely hidden in an inner pocket of her robes she made her way through the icy wind to the Three Broomsticks. Lavender, Padma and Parvati were already seated at a table in the far corner and she joined them, sitting so that she was facing the bar and could wait for an opportune moment.

"So what have you been up to?" Padma asked. Having been perfectly prepared, Theresa pulled out a bag with unused parchment and a new quill out of another pocket.

"I had to buy some new writing supplies, I was running low on parchment and my quill needed replacement," she lied smoothly, stowing the bag back inside her robes.

"We could have gone with you," Lavender said. Her friends were obviously not happy about Theresa's increasing solo runs.

"It would have been boring for you. Besides," she said matter-of-factly, "this way you guys were on time to reserve a table before the place got too crowded." This was less of a lie. The Three Broomsticks had rarely been _this_ full as everyone attempted to flee the cold.

"You're just so distant lately. It's like we hardly know you anymore," Lavender said and Theresa nearly snorted into her butterbeer. She had chosen this bunch well. They were superficial and dim-witted enough for Theresa to deceive them. Did they seriously believe they knew anything about her? They didn't even know when her birthday was.

"Come off it! I'm around you guys all the time. Nothing's changed," she said, smiling falsely and setting down her butterbeer. She watched as Madam Rosmerta walked into the back of the pub. "Excuse me, I have to go to the loo," Theresa said, getting up and cutting off Lavender who had just been about to speak up again.

She went around the bar and into the back, but instead of going to the bathroom she followed Madam Rosmerta to the storage. Quietly she approached the inn-keeper, who was leaning over a crate of firewhisky. She pointed her wand at the woman and whispered, "_Imperio_." A strange sensation travelled down her arm and into her wand. Though it was not the first time Theresa had performed illegal magic it was the first time that she used an Unforgivable Curse.

Quickly she grabbed the brown-paper package and the enchanted gold coin and gave it to Rosmerta who took it without hesitation and without any expression on her face. Mentally (just in case someone might be just outside the storage room door) Theresa gave Rosmerta the instructions that Draco had told her to pass on. _Go to the girls' bathroom and Imperius the first person that walks in, give that person the package and order her to bring it to Dumbledore. Take this coin and keep it. You will use it to communicate with Draco Malfoy whenever Dumbledore leaves the school._ The coin was Draco's reassurance should the plan with the necklace fail, which Theresa knew it would. By all means it wasn't a very good plan. It would never pass Filch (though it would never even get as far as Hogwarts) and it only showed her how desperate Draco was getting in trying to finish at least one part of his task.

Rosmerta left the storage room and went into the bathroom. Theresa waited a moment longer then walked back to the table where Lavender, Parvati and Padma were waiting. "What do you say we go back up to the school?" she asked them and they nodded in agreement. There was nothing else to do here in Hogsmeade in weather like this.

They made their way back up to the castle. The wind was now in their back which was just as uncomfortable as having it in the face. Theresa's long hair kept whipping around her face, lashing at her already painfully raw cheeks.

It wasn't until late that evening that she got a chance to see Draco. Considering that even Lavender was now becoming aware of Theresa's absence she had decided to spend a little more time with her and Parvati. A decision she had regretted as she was exposed to over three hours of excessive girl talk mainly revolving around Ron Weasley.

Only when the two of them engaged in a heated discussion about something Lavender's tea leaves had supposedly predicted during the last Divination lesson could Theresa finally slip away and out of the common room. She made her way down the corridor until she reached the Room of Requirement which opened for her as the Room of Hidden Things.

Apparently, Draco had already been waiting for her. Since having begun work on the Vanishing Cabinet in the very back of the room he had made the area a little more comfortable using the burnt sofa, two rather battered armchairs and a moth-eaten carpet, as well as a small coffee table that looked like it had been perforated by termites. He had set it all up in front of the old fireplace, which was currently lit.

As she walked in he was bent over a low shelf. Theresa sat down on the sofa and put her feet up on the table, leaning back and sighing in frustration. This had not been her day.

"Sounds like you need this," Draco said and turned towards her, holding a glass filled with amber liquid out to her.

"Only if it's firewhisky or something stronger," she replied and he smiled.

"It's firewhisky from the kitchens," he informed her and handed her the glass, which she downed in one gulp, the whisky burning its path down her throat. It was oddly relieving though. She hadn't even noticed just how tense she was until said tension began to ebb out of her. Draco sat down next to her, placing the bottle of firewhisky on the coffee table. He was holding a glass, too. "Did everything go okay?" he asked, trying to sound casual, but she could hear a note of anxiety in his voice.

"Of course," she answered, "Well, my part anyway. If the plan worked in a whole, we'll find out tomorrow, I assume." She gave another great sigh, closing her eyes. She could still feel that strange sensation the Imperius Curse had made in her arm. It hadn't been uncomfortable in and of itself, but the knowledge that she had really just used an Unforgivable Curse...

Draco had obviously interpreted her suddenly horror-struck expression correctly for he grabbed the whisky bottle and poured her another round. "It's hard at first," he said as she emptied her glass a second time. "The Imperius Curse is the easiest to deal with."

"You would know," she said, perhaps a little to harsh, because he cringed slightly.

"Yeah, I would know, dear aunt Bella taught me all three of them over the summer." He emptied his own glass as obviously uneasy memories threatened to rise in him and refilled it. "I suppose I should be glad I didn't become an alcoholic," he added in an afterthought, staring thoughtfully at the glass in his hand. Despite herself Theresa had to laugh.

"Seriously, saying you're not an alcoholic while holding a whisky glass in your hand sort of sends a mixed message," she said still chuckling and he quickly joined in.

After a moment they calmed down again and he took her hand in his, his fingers playing with hers gently. Strangely enough it didn't bother her at all, though she had always hated it if one of her previous boyfriends had done that. "Thank you," he murmured and she looked up at him. His hand was moving up and down her bare arm (she had taken off her robes in the rather warm room and wore only her short-sleeved blouse).

"Don't mention it," she said, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Seriously, don't!" she added, which made him laugh again. They had another few drinks and though Theresa was quite capable of holding her liquor she was feeling increasingly light-headed.

"I've always misjudged you, you know," Draco said. "I always thought you were a good girl, being a Gryffindor and all. A bit of a wallflower, too. But you're not at all like that." Her use of the Imperius Curse will have proven that satisfactorily.

"I don't have a lot of interest in being a good person or a bad person. From what I can tell, either way, you're screwed. Bad people are punished by society's laws, and good people are punished by Murphy's Law. So you see my dilemma." She emptied her glass (Merlin knew how many there had been by now) and looked back at him.

"True, but staying neutral might not be a luxury in what's coming," Draco said, lacing his fingers with hers. It was amazing how perfectly her hand fit into his.

"Unless we lived in Switzerland," she noted. Draco chuckled at her comment which was a rather plain indicator of how drunk she was already.

"Unless we lived in Switzerland," he agreed, then more seriously he said, "May I ask you a question?"

"That is a question. Do you want to ask me another one?" Okay, she was definitely not sober anymore.

"What side are you on?" The grand question and one she could not currently answer honestly. She sat up and moved over to him sitting down on his lap in such a fashion that she straddled his hips.

"On yours," Theresa answered and kissed him passionately. He kissed her back, his hand straying underneath her blouse, over the soft skin of her lower back. His touch sent shivers along her spine and she felt her body reacting to it with a desire for more. Expertly her hand loosened the tie around his neck. Taking it as his signal, Draco rolled to the side so she was lying on her back with him on top of her. Hungrily he kissed down her throat, opening the first two buttons of her blouse to reach her collarbone. His lips moved up again and they reached the spot just beneath her ear that made her moan. Theresa had always been extremely sensitive in that area, but feeling Draco's lips there made it an indescribably blissful experience. Animated by her moan he began to suck and nibble on her skin.

"Oh, Merlin," she exclaimed, her fingernails racking over his shoulder. His left hand had slipped beneath her blouse again, exploring the flat plain of her stomach.

Then abruptly he stopped. "What?" she asked, not quite able to keep a note of agitation out of her voice. Judging by the broad grin on his face it was a very clear note.

"As much as I'm enjoying this –" he began.

"Then why stop?" He grinned again.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, you're drunk and I don't want to take advantage of you," he said. Theresa had to smile.

"That is very considerate of you, but I'm not _that_ drunk yet." With that she pulled him back down, savouring the feeling of his weight on top of her. Considering how bad her day had started, she thought that the evening was turning it around quite nicely…


	10. Horcrux

**Chapter 10: Horcrux**

In all her five years of education, Theresa had never received mail. The first and last letter she had ever gotten was her admittance to Hogwarts. She'd lie if she said it hadn't hurt in the beginning. Even Harry, who came from similar family circumstances, got mail. But by now the sting had diminished to a dull ache as she watched every morning as her housemates tore open envelopes and packages from home. Her uncle wouldn't write to her. And there was no one else. She had no other family, no friends outside of school.

Naturally she was all the more surprised when a barn owl landed before her. For a moment Theresa thought it had confused her with someone else, but then she spotted her name written on the white envelope in a neat, slanting handwriting.

Quickly she untied the letter from the owl's leg, letting it peck at the crust of her toast which she never ate anyway. She opened the letter and stared at it. All it said was, '_Come to my office at six on Monday evening. I enjoy liquorice wands._' Theresa knew who had sent this note to her and it didn't necessarily make her feel any better. Of course, Dumbledore would hear of Katie Bell's accident and he was no fool.

"It's terrible what happened to Katie, isn't it?" Lavender asked for the umpteenth time. The news of the cursed girl had leaked out this morning along with the fact that she had been transferred to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. The details were confused and no one seemed to know that Katie hadn't been the intended target.

Theresa looked over at the Slytherin table, but Draco wasn't there. "Yes, it's terrible," she answered Lavender, taking another sip from her pumpkin juice.

"And to think it happened in Hogsmeade!" The blond girl continued. "It could have been any of us."

"You reckon someone just wanted her out of the way because of the upcoming Quidditch match?" Parvati inquired.

"I think that might be a little too drastic just for a Quidditch game," Theresa said. "Besides, why go for Katie then? Ginny's a much better Chaser and if anyone really wanted to screw up Gryffindor's chances of winning they should have gone after Harry, he's the Seeker after all." They nodded in agreement and began to discuss the issue amongst themselves. Theresa focused on the Slytherin table again, but Draco was still not there and breakfast time was winding down. With a sigh she grabbed two toasts and began buttering them and making a sandwich.

"Excuse me," she said to Lavender and Parvati, wrapping the sandwich in a napkin and walking out of the Great Hall. With the help of a few shortcuts it took her ten minutes to reach the Room of Requirement. The door appeared for her, but she hesitated a little.

Theresa and Draco hadn't slept with each other last night, realising that it was too soon. But they had gone a lot further than ever before, both having been topless by the time they put an end to it. She had put her blouse and robes back on and went back to her common room, while he had wanted to stay and work on the Cabinet a bit more.

She tugged at the end of the ugly pink shawl Lavender had given to her last Christmas and that was now hiding the love bite on her throat. It clashed terribly with her scarlet-and-gold Gryffindor tie, but it fulfilled its purpose. With that Theresa opened the door and walked inside.

As she had almost expected she found Draco in the room. He was sprawled out on the sofa, fast asleep. He looked almost peaceful in his sleep, if it weren't for the hollowed cheeks and the grey tinge to his skin that looked anything but healthy.

Quietly Theresa rounded the sofa until she stood by his head, where she knelt down. Slowly she stroked a loose strand out of his face, her fingers combing through his hair. "Draco, wake up," she said softly. Whether it was her voice or her touch or both that woke him, she did not know nor did she care. He stirred slightly and his eyes fluttered open.

"What time is it?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Nearly noon. You've missed breakfast," she informed him and handed him the sandwich she had made.

"You're a life saver, do you know that?" He bit into the sandwich heartily, obviously starved.

"Katie probably doesn't think so," Theresa said, sitting down next to him.

"Bell? What about her?"

"She touched the necklace. Don't worry, she's not dead," she added as she saw his shocked face. Draco didn't want to see anyone innocent die. His mission was to kill Dumbledore and no one else. "She's in St Mungo's now." He swallowed hard. His plan had failed. Theresa knew he hadn't put too much faith in it, as it had been more than risky, but there had been the tiny hope that his struggles would end. She knew he dreaded the alternative (namely standing before the Headmaster himself).

"Does anyone suspect me… us?" Theresa shook her head, pushing Dumbledore's note even deeper into her pocket.

Come Monday evening Theresa made her way to the Headmaster's office. She was a bit early, but decided to go up anyway. She picked up Dot, who had been following her persistently, from the floor and put the horned ferret into the book bag she had slung around her shoulder.

"Liquorice Wand," she said to the gargoyle, which jumped aside. Theresa stepped onto the rotating staircase and waited until it reached the top. She knocked on the door, but got no answer. Not wanting to stand in front of the door until Dumbledore returned she opened the door and walked into the office. Looking around the familiar office, she placed her bag onto the chair in front of the desk. Dot clambered out of it and onto the desk, eyeing the phoenix that sat on its perch.

Theresa walked around the room taking a closer look at the different silver instruments. She stopped in front of the Foe-Glass and saw dark figures within the glass. It seemed like they were standing directly behind her and she could make out their faces, a notion that did not come as a surprise to her. She was perfectly aware of the danger she was in.

She moved on to the bookshelf, her finger gliding over the backs of the books, reading a few of the titles. Most revolved around magical laws; '_Legislative Guide to the Proper Use of Magic_', '_Legal Guidelines for the Manufacture of Magical Apparatus_', '_Extraordinary Trials in History_', '_The Dark Arts: A Legal Companion_', '_Law and Literature_', '_Illegal Compendium 198_', '_Ancient Law_', '_Magical Moral Perspective_', '_Magical Misdemeanours in the Modern Law_' and many others like that. One book in particular caught her attention. It was bound in tattered black leather. The title said '_Secrets of the Darkest Art_'. Theresa pulled it out of the shelf, ignoring the outrage of the paintings around the room. A red string was hanging out of the bottom of the book and she pulled it, flipping the book open to the marked page. The headline of the page was '_Horcrux_'. Theresa had no idea what struck her about that word, but something told her this was important information. So she read on. '_A Horcrux is a container in which a witch or wizard can hide a piece of his or her soul with the intention of attaining immortality. The Horcrux protects the given fragment of soul from any damage that might befall the body in which the remainder of the soul resides. As long as the Horcrux is intact, the person will remain earthbound even if his or her body is destroyed._

_ In order to create a Horcrux the witch or wizard must split his or her soul into pieces, so that one part can be stored inside the Horcrux while the other part stays within the witch or wizard's body. Splitting one's soul is achieved by committing murder, which tears the soul apart._' The remainder of the text became a bit more specific about the uses and functions of Horcruxes and their creation as well as their destruction which was of no further interest to Theresa. As she snapped the book shut she became aware of the Headmaster, who was standing by his desk, petting Dot and watching her intently.

"This sounds awfully familiar," Theresa commented, raising the book slightly. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"I'm glad you agree," he said, sitting down in his high-backed chair. Calmly Theresa put the book back in its place and rounded the desk to sit in the chair opposite Dumbledore's.

"Is it Horcrux or Horcruxes?" she asked and he smiled wearily at her.

"An excellent question," he noted. And one he obviously could not answer or didn't want to. Either way it did not matter at the moment.

"You've been gone quite a while. Does that have to do with these Horcruxes as well?"

"You are gifted with very good deductive skills, my dear," he said with a slight nod, "better than that of most of your classmates."

"I have an unfair advantage," she replied and he chuckled.

"Indeed." They were silent for a moment, then the Headmaster began to speak again, "But this is not the reason why I've asked you to come here tonight." This time Theresa nodded.

"I take it, it is about the incident with Katie Bell and that cursed necklace."

"You are right again," his voice sounded grave now. "I assume you had something to do with this."

"I do," she answered, seeing no point in trying to lie to him.

"You were aware of the necklace being cursed?"

"Yes and I was aware of it being meant for you. I know whose idea it was and I also knew that his plan would fail and that Katie would suffer no permanent damage. I would not have consented to the plan otherwise."

"You are referring to Draco Malfoy's plan to kill me?" Dumbledore was incredibly calm for someone who was speaking of his own assassination. He could be talking about the weather. But they both knew how this was going to go and they both had made their own arrangements.

"Yes."

"Then I take it, you have managed to persuade him of your reliability and trustworthiness."

"I have." Dumbledore gave a single nod in acknowledge of her achievement. Dot climbed from the desk onto Theresa's lap and she scratched the animal's head, her eyes remaining on the Headmaster.

"I trust that you have everything under control and that you will inform me should this no longer be the case." She heard the note of finality in his voice and knew that this discussion was over, at least for the time being. Dumbledore needed to prepare for Harry's arrival who was to come after her.

She stood up to go, wishing the Headmaster a good night. Just as she reached the door he said, "Do caution young Mr Malfoy. There are some people in this castle who already suspect him. He should tread carefully if he doesn't want confrontation with said people." With '_people_' Theresa assumed he meant Harry and his friends.

"I'll make sure to let him know." With that she left the Headmaster's office, Dot scurrying along behind her…

* * *

**I know it has been forever since I updated, but I admit I was a bit disappointed by the lack of response so I figured there was no point continuing this story. But lately I've come to the conclusion I might as well update everything I have. So, after a long wait, I'll upload the rest of this story.**


	11. Venomous Tentacula Essence

**Chapter 11: Venomous Tentacula Essence**

Considering that she had spent five years of her school life keeping her head low she was now risking said head an awful lot.

Theresa was walking through the dark corridors, only illuminated by the tip of her wand. Of course she had snuck around the school at night before, but never with the intention to break into a classroom.

_Peeves floated around the corner and immediately spotted her. Gleefully and with a loud cackle he began to scream, "Student out of bed! Student out of bed!"_

Quickly and as silent as possible she extinguished the light from her wand and dived behind a suit of armour. She hid just in time as Peeves came around the corner, whistling something that sounded a lot like '_Weasley is our King_'. Probably the Slytherin version of it though.

After Theresa was sure Peeves was gone she continued on her way to the dungeons. Sneaking around was relatively easy when one got warnings of approaching teachers, ghosts and Filch. She had never been caught before and she wasn't about to break that tradition now.

In the dungeons she walked towards the Potions classroom. It was locked, but clicked open as she pointed her wand at it. It was dark inside the classroom and slightly eerie. She began to look around for what she had been looking for when she heard footsteps. Their shuffling told her it was Filch. Quickly and silently she dashed to the door and locked it from the inside. It gave another click and Theresa hoped the caretaker hadn't heard it.

"I'm sure there's someone here, my sweet." Theresa could hear him speak to his cat, Mrs Norris. Her heart was beating faster now. Had he heard her or was it just his intuition? She nearly yelped when he suddenly rattled the door handle, but managed to stifle it down to a small gasp.

"What's the meaning of this, Mr Filch?" That cold voice could belong only to one man and Theresa wasn't sure if she should be glad or worried.

"I'm sure there is a student sneaking around here somewhere, Professor," Filch said to Snape.

"Then I'll check." There was a definite tone in Snape's voice that told Filch to get lost, which the caretaker did with much angered muttering. Meanwhile Theresa backed away from the door and sat down on the teacher's desk, legs crossed. She wasn't going to show her nervousness.

As she expected the door opened with another click from the lock and Snape walked into the classroom his black eyes falling on her. "Why, Ms Weidmann! I'm almost surprised to see you here. I was expecting Potter," he said with a sneer.

"I bet you did," Theresa replied in a calm voice, nothing betraying her fluttering heart. She was not afraid of Snape. It was the whole sneaking around situation that got her adrenaline pumping.

"I should be taking points from your House for such late wanderings," he said coldly.

"How lucky for me then that I excel at not giving a damn," she said just as coldly and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Besides, you won't take points and you won't put me in detention either."

He remained silent. She was right and she knew how much he hated that. "What are you doing here?" he finally asked.

"I need Polyjuice Potion," she said, and then corrected herself, "well, Draco needs Polyjuice Potion. And I happen to know that Slughorn had a whole batch of it in our first lesson. Unless it was used up, which I doubt, it will still be around here somewhere." For a moment he just looked at her.

"It's in the private storage," he then answered and walked out the door. Theresa leapt off the table and followed him to a door down the corridor.

"Do you want me to open it?" she asked as he just stood in front of it. Snape inhaled deeply as if trying to calm himself down and pulled out his wand, pointing it at the door. It opened to reveal a small room with shelves all along the walls, filled with vials and bottles of different potions and boxes of ingredients.

Theresa quickly spotted the bottles filled with a substance resembling thick, dark mud that she had no trouble recognising as Polyjuice Potion. She grabbed two bottles and put them into the inside pocket of her robes.

"And what shall I say when two bottles are discovered missing?" Snape asked angrily.

"Use your imagination," Theresa said, about to walk out of the storage room when her eyes fell on something else. There was a small bottle marked with '_Venomous Tentacula Essence_'. The bottle contained a clear, colourless liquid. "May I borrow this?" she asked.

"What for?"

"Nothing special, I'll have it back to you around Christmas." Again he breathed deeply, then gave a small, noncommittal shrug. She pocketed the Tentacula Essence and walked out of the room, letting Snape seal it behind her.

"Dumbledore has told me that you've managed to convince Draco that you want to help him," Snape said as they walked down the corridor.

"I _do_ want to help him." He snorted and she rolled her eyes.

"Perhaps you can convince him…"

"I can't make him trust you. He believes you're trying to steal his thunder," Theresa said as she reached the staircase upwards.

"That's ridiculous."

"Of course it is. He's a sixteen year-old boy after all. You can't expect more. If you wish to help him, help me."

"I am, otherwise you'd already be sitting in detention," Snape replied.

"And I'm most grateful for your help." Theresa managed to banish the sarcasm in her voice to a nearly inaudible minimum. Why Dumbledore had to set Snape on her of all teachers was a mystery to her. Still, she was glad of it too, in a way. If it came down to it, he was the only one she could talk to openly. He knew her secrets and she trusted him to keep them. "Good night, Professor," she said and walked up the stairs, leaving Snape behind.

Draco looked up in surprise when she put down the two bottles of Polyjuice Potion on the coffee table the next morning.

"What are these for?" he asked.

"You need lookouts. No good if someone sees you coming out of this room." And with '_someone_' she meant Harry or one of his friends. "Those lookouts should be dense enough not to ask too many questions and I happen to believe that you know two such fine gentlemen."

"Crabbe and Goyle," Draco said with a nod and a smile.

"Exactly. But since you can't have those buffoons standing in front of the room all the time…" She didn't need to finish her sentence as she saw comprehension dawn on Draco's face.

"You are, if I may say so, positively _serpentine_. How ever did you end up in Gryffindor?" he asked with a grin, picking up one of the bottles and examining it.

"I'm a Mudblood, remember?" He cringed slightly at her use of that offensive word. It did not perturb her. Why should it?

"Zabini told me Slughorn was planning a Christmas party and the guests are allowed to bring someone along." The sudden change of topic threw her slightly off, especially considering the obvious implication in his voice.

"You know I'd love to go with you, but we wouldn't be alone at that party and some of the people there might blab to the wrong ears," Theresa said, clearly seeing the disappointment in his features.

"It's annoying, this whole secrecy thing. Why can't we just snog in the open like every other couple in Hogwarts? I just want Pansy off my back and be able to spend more time with you," he said. Theresa turned away from him, pretending to be interested in the books on the shelf behind her. He didn't need to see how uncomfortable the notion of an open, true relationship was making her. Draco was not the first boy she was together with. She had had a few relationships with boys outside of school. And that was the point. These relationships had clear boundaries; they began sometime after her return into the Muggle world and would end shortly before her departure. No strings. No attachments. No commitments. That's how she handled relationships.

But with Draco things were different. She did not know whether she could have considered a serious relationship with him if the circumstances had been different, but the thought was repelling in her mind. Of course she cared for him (more than her situation permitted), but to have a real relationship? Something that went beyond something physical? It was a concept her brain neither could nor wanted to grasp and silently she was glad that at least for now she could hide behind their need of secrecy.

"I know it is," Theresa lied, getting a grip on her feelings and turning towards him again with a convincingly pleasant smile.

"So, who are you taking to the party? You can't go alone. That would just be sad for a girl," Draco said, trying (and failing) to sound casual and not envious.

"Oh, I thought I'd take that David Taylor, a sixth-year Ravenclaw. Lavender said he's been eyeing me," she answered with a smile, her fingers gliding over the smooth surface of the Potion bottle she'd kept hidden in her robes. The one that was labelled _Venomous Tentacula Essence_…


	12. Romeo and Juliet

**Chapter 12: Romeo and Juliet**

With November came the prospect of the first Quidditch match of the season – Gryffindor versus Slytherin. It was the embodiment of an ancient rivalry and as the match grew nearer the students of the two Houses acted towards each other accordingly. Often enough there was talk of students being hit by jinxes and sent to the Hospital Wing.

Since Katie Bell had still not returned from St Mungo's, Harry had taken Dean Thomas onto the team and from what Lavender and Parvati told Theresa he seemed to be doing pretty good. Just Ron had his difficulties. "He'll be brilliant in the match," Lavender always said, her eyes twinkling dreamily. Parvati and Theresa usually rolled their eyes at that, which the blonde simply ignored.

"I don't care which team wins," Theresa assured for about the hundredth time as she watched Draco pace up and down in front of the Vanishing Cabinet, looking irritated. By now he had tried practically every repairing spell known to wizard kind.

"How can you not care? You love Quidditch," he said. Yes, she did love Quidditch and unfortunately she had told him so.

"And your point is?"

"You have to want your team to win."

"What logic is that?" she asked. "I love the game, not the teams." She grabbed his arm, so he would stop pacing, which was driving her insane. Theresa had been sitting on the backrest of the sofa, her feet dangling a few inches above the ground. She pulled him close to her, so he was standing between her knees. "It's a lose-lose situation for me anyway. Either my team wins, or yours. If my team wins you'll be in a foul mood and if yours wins it'll be all of the Gryffindors moping around."

He sighed and leaned his forehead against hers. Their relationship had suffered a little since she had asked David Taylor to Slughorn's Christmas party. David had started seeking her out, wanting to talk to her. Every time Draco saw the two of them together he had to practice utmost self-control not to come over and strangle David. Instead he usually broke, tore or smashed whatever he was holding in his hand at the time. Once that had been Pansy's hand and she had had to be sent to the Hospital Wing afterwards. Not that Draco or Theresa were too sorry about that.

"I promise I won't let it out on you should we lose," he said quietly, his hand travelling up her thigh and under her uniform skirt. Theresa had to bite down on her lower lip. If she could she would have purred like a cat at his touch. Truth was it was likely Slytherin would lose, since Draco wasn't going to play and Harper, who would substitute, was pathetic.

"Draco, stop strangling the toad!" He snapped out of his daydream (in which he was actually strangling David Taylor) as Daphne spoke.

"What?" He looked down at the toad he was supposed to turn into a water goblet. His hand was squeezing it so badly its eyes were bulging. "Oh." He released the animal which immediately fled off the table.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you so distracted?" Daphne asked him, looking at him with concern. Daphne was one of the few Slytherin girls with whom Draco liked talking. She was smart and pretty and didn't cling to him like Pansy (who had actually become much less clingy since the incident with her hand).

"There's nothing wrong with me," Draco lied. His insides were boiling. His gaze travelled back across the classroom where David Taylor was cornering a rather reluctant Theresa.

"And I suppose '_nothing_' is flirting with a Ravenclaw at the moment, huh?" Daphne said, her voice sounding amused.

"How do you… What are you thinking? She's a Mudblood!" He said defiantly, though the term _Mudblood_ came out with surprising difficulty.

"So?" she asked casually, tapping the blackbird in front of her silently. Draco watched it morph into an elegant glass goblet. "Draco I'm not blind. I see the way you look at her. You've started last year and it's even worse this year and now you're all jealous because of a stupid Ravenclaw that she obviously doesn't even like."

Was he really that transparent? Did the others know as well? Panic rose in him at that thought. What if someone told a Death Eater or, even worse, the Dark Lord himself? "Don't worry, I think I'm the only one who knows and I won't tell," Daphne said, correctly interpreting his shocked expression.

"Thank you, Daphne," he said, glad that they were alone in the back of the class. He had never appreciated her more as a friend. Daphne herself and her younger sister Astoria were from a pureblood-family, though not one associated with the Dark Lord. Narcissa had actually dropped a few hints about what a good wife Daphne would make. But they didn't like each other in that way.

"Have you told her?" she suddenly asked.

"Told her what?"

"That you fancy her, of course," Daphne said as if it was absolutely natural for a Slytherin to confess his love to a Gryffindor. Should he tell her the truth or should he lie to her?

"Well, sort of. I mean, I haven't actually said it, but we've been meeting… in secret," he answered, settling on the truth.

"That is so romantic," she said dreamily. "It's almost like _Romeo and Juliet_."

"Like what?" She rolled her eyes at him.

"Honestly, just because you don't like Muggles does not excuse your ignorance of their artistic achievements," Daphne said. "_Romeo and Juliet_," she repeated. "It's a play by Shakespeare. It's about a couple in love despite their families hating each other."

"Does it end well?" He asked, though he had a certain feeling he knew the answer already. She looked a little crestfallen.

"No, they die," she admitted gloomily.

"Now that's romantic," Draco said sarcastically as his feeling had been confirmed. He earned a slap on the arm for that.

Even though he had only been joking with Daphne the thought never left him over the following few days. Were Theresa and him really like _Romeo and Juliet_? Were they destined to never be with each other in life? By all means their situation was hardly promising. He was currently doing his best to help the Dark Lord conquer the wizarding community and that conquest would hit the Muggle-borns hardest. Theresa would be amongst those in most danger.

But if he refused to help the Dark Lord he and his family would die. So what was he supposed to do?

All his life he had been raised to believe that Muggle-borns were worthless, beneath him, not worth a second glance. Despite that it was a Muggle-born that had captured his interest in a way no other girl ever had. Theresa haunted his sleeping and waking dreams. He wanted her by his side. He needed her. His views of the world were revising because of her.

At the same time a part in him still believed in everything his parents had taught him (that part conveniently looked past the fact that Theresa was Muggle-born). He still believed that pure-bloods should rule the wizarding world and in due time the Muggle world as well. Not to mention the fact that his head was lying on the chopping block and the guillotine was already hovering over him.

He was trapped in between the sides and he didn't know which one was right. Could sixteen years of his life really have been all lies? Could his heart be fooled so much by a pretty face?

"That puts Slytherin practically out of the run for the Cup," Theresa said. They were sitting in the Room of Requirement. The Quidditch match had just ended and she had come to report about it. Slytherin had been flattened and Draco was not looking forward to going back to the Common Room. Some would probably blame him since they had to send out Harper instead of him, though so far Draco had never managed to beat Potter, so it probably wouldn't have made much of a difference. Strangely the Quidditch result did not matter to him at all. He was still too caught up in what Daphne had said to care about something as trivial as a game.

"Hm," was his uninvolved answer. Theresa, who had been leaning against his shoulder, sat up straight and looked at him.

"Is that all you have to say about it? Your House just lost nearly all chance to win the Cup and all you can come up with is '_hm_'?"

"I said I wasn't going to let it out on you," Draco replied, perhaps a little too coldly.

"What's going on?" she looked genuinely offended by his tone.

"Nothing," he said. He couldn't explain his problem to her. Theresa had offered him her help and she had been amazing help. But he felt terrible for letting her help. Did she not understand how much she was endangering herself? Then again, she was smart, she knew what his mission included and she knew enough of the wizarding world to guess at her status in it should the Dark Lord rise to absolute power. For some reason her indifference irked him. Perhaps it was because he was feeling so guilty for not stopping her, for letting her continue helping him. Perhaps it was because he was so confused and she seemed so sure of herself all the time. Perhaps it was because he was at the end of his rope and didn't know what to do. He hated not knowing what to do. Or perhaps (and he felt this to be the most likely reason) it was because he was afraid. Draco was afraid of the Dark Lord's wrath should he not complete his task. He was afraid of what would happen to Theresa _should_ he complete his task. And all the while, she remained calm and fearless and that drove him up the wall.

"Is this about David again?" she asked. Draco snorted angrily.

"David? You're on first name basis with that moron?" he asked derisively. Theresa jumped up, glaring down at him.

"We're going to a Christmas party together so first name basis seems appropriate." Draco could not remember standing up, but he stood in front of her now.

"Then go with him, see if I give a bloody damn," he yelled.

"I have no idea what's eating you, but if you're just going to pick a fight tonight I think I rather go and celebrate _our_ victory with the other Gryffindors," Theresa yelled back and stormed out of the room.

As the door slammed shut behind her all the fight seemed to drain out of him and he slumped onto the sofa. What, in Merlin's name, had he just done?


	13. Pride

**Chapter 13: Pride**

Theresa had returned to the common room to find everyone celebrating. Despite of what she had told Draco she really wasn't in much of a partying mood. She had no idea where his sudden animosity had come from.

_What is the point of having clairvoyant abilities if they don't show me something like that coming?_ She thought angrily.

"Where have you been?" Theresa spun around as she heard Parvati's voice from behind her. She quickly hid all her anger under a mask of cheerfulness.

"Oh, I've just had a little chat with…" She wanted to say David, but couldn't quite bring herself to say the name.

"David?" Parvati asked, her face lighting up. "I think it is so fantastic that you're going out with him. He's really nice and quite good looking, too…" Parvati continued listing all of David's good qualities when Theresa suddenly realized someone missing.

"Where's Lavender?" she asked. Parvati rolled her eyes and motioned into a corner. Lavender was sitting there, wrapped so tightly around Ron that it was nearly impossible to discern which hands belonged to whom.

"It looks like they're about to swallow each other's faces," Parvati commented dispassionately.

Theresa found herself incapable of laughing at the otherwise funny scene. Seeing Lavender snogging Ron just after having a fight with Draco was hard to digest. She fought the desire to run back to him. However, she hadn't done anything. She was not going to come crawling back. If anything he was the one who should apologize. Why had he been so angry anyway? Because of Quidditch? Because of David? He must know that she didn't care for David. Theresa had told Draco plenty of times. And Quidditch was just a game, no reason to blow up like that.

"Excuse me," she said to Parvati and went up to the dormitory. It was peaceful and quiet up here and that was exactly what she needed right now.

Over the next few weeks Theresa and Draco barely looked at each other. Both refused to be the first to back down and apologise. They avoided each other as much as possible, which was difficult seeing as they shared all of their classes. No one noticed the change of course. Well, hardly anyone.

Snape had noticed and it was becoming increasingly more difficult to avoid him as well. She had been asked into his office a few times, but had ignored the request. When he tried to approach her in the corridors she managed to dodge him by using a short cut or slipping into a girls' bathroom. Theresa just didn't want to talk to Snape about her love life, even if it was a faked love life (which just felt extremely real).

To top it all off she now had to spend a lot of time in the company of Parvati, Harry, Lavender and Ron (the latter two practically being glued together).

"So, you're going to Slughorn's party then?" Harry asked her, pointedly ignoring the snogging couple seated next to him.

"I am," Theresa answered shortly. She had never talked much to Harry. It wasn't that she didn't like him, but as she barely talked to anyone else she saw no reason to act different towards him. She just didn't want anyone close.

"Are you going with someone?" She raised an eyebrow at him. Was he trying to ask her out? Well, she supposed she was a better choice than Romilda Vane.

"I'm going with David Taylor," she answered, he just nodded. _Speaking of the devil_, she thought as she saw David getting up from the Ravenclaw table and making his way over to her. Her gaze flicked to the Slytherin table, but Draco was talking to Daphne Greengrass, looking anywhere but at the Gryffindor table.

"I… have to go to the library," she said as David began to walk in her direction. She really did not want to talk to him. As fast as she could without looking suspicious Theresa made her way out of the Great Hall. She wasn't going to go to the library. Parvati would tell David that she had said she'd be there, so she had to find some other place to be alone.

"Weidmann." She nearly cursed aloud when she heard the familiar cold snarl behind her. Gracefully she swung around to face Snape as he walked towards her, black robes billowing behind him. He really could look like a bat, she noticed.

"Professor," she said politely since they were surrounded by other people.

"Come with me," he ordered, a sneer on his face. He was perfectly aware that she couldn't refuse him. It would be too strange if a student disobeyed a teacher. And not just any teacher. Snape had a preceding reputation and considering how badly his House had been defeated in the last match people would assume he'd come down especially hard on Gryffindor students.

Wanting to save herself the big scene that would come otherwise, she obediently followed him to an empty classroom slightly off the main paths.

"You wish to talk to me," Theresa assessed after he had closed the door.

"And you figured that out all by yourself, did you?" he sneered, facing her. Theresa didn't let herself be goaded.

"What do you want?" she asked, cutting straight to the point.

"Drink a cup of tea with you! What do you think I want?" he said coldly. "What's going on between you and Draco? I thought your plan was to make him fall for you and now you're not talking to each other?"

"Careful that you don't care too much," she replied stubbornly, "You know, like with pulling faces; do it too often and it might stay permanently." He looked ready to slap her, which was probably the reason why he remained by the door, far away from her, so he wouldn't be tempted.

"You…" He restrained himself, inhaling deeply. "You have too much pride," Snape finally said once he had calmed down enough. Theresa was pretty sure that was not what the original sentence would have sounded like, his former tone had actually sounded like the announcement of an insult.

"I'm sure you're an expert on that," Theresa said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, her demeanour remaining composed, while her insides were boiling.

"It's a quality you and I as well as Draco share," Snape said and she snorted. Deciding to ignore her he continued, "And it's an admirable one until it becomes a wall. '_Well sure I'm alone, but at least I have my righteous anger to keep me company at night._'" Snape looked at her and something in his eyes told her he knew exactly what he was talking about. Theresa could feel her anger ebbing out of her bit by bit. "You need him for your plans to work."

"He needs me for his task as well," Theresa said quietly.

"But he doesn't know that, does he?" Snape said. "So it is up to you to set aside your pride and make amends."

"I know, I know," Theresa said, giving in. She avoided making eye contact with Snape. She didn't want to see him gloating in his victory over her. Yes, she was very proud, something she had inherited from her father from what she had been told. Overcoming that pride was a painful process.

"Whatever happened between you is not as important as what is yet to come," Snape said and turned to leave.

"Can I ask a favour then?" He stopped with his hand on the doorknob. She took this as a '_maybe_' and continued, "You're going to Slughorn's party, no?" He turned towards her.

"So?"

"I need Crabbe and Goyle out of the way that night. Can you give them detention?"

"What for?" Snape asked.

"It's Crabbe and Goyle we're talking about, there's surely something you can put them in detention for even if it's only for being complete imbeciles," Theresa retorted. Was it her imagination or had there really been the hint of a smile in Snape's face? If there really had been something like a smile it had vanished as quickly as it came and left no evidence behind.

"I suppose there is no point in asking why."

"You'll know," she said mysteriously and he nodded in acceptance.

"I'll see what I can do." With that he opened the door and disappeared out into the corridor.

Theresa remained behind, alone. If there was one person she had never been able to understand then it would be Snape. In one moment he always seemed cold and bitter and in the next he was almost understanding and helpful. As much as Theresa hated to admit it, it was a trait she actually liked about him. It was never boring to talk to Snape. Whether they were throwing insults at each other or he was offering constructive advice there always seemed to be something more to it.

He was a lot like her (which made it all the more curious that it was so difficult for her to figure him out). He worked alone, he preferred it that way. They both kept their past secret and others at a distance. They were both involved in dangerous plans. And they both had their pride. The way he had looked at her earlier told her that he had been standing once at the exact same place she stood in now. He too had faced his pride and had to make a decision whether or not to swallow it. He hadn't and it had been a mistake. Now she faced that decision and she wasn't going to repeat Snape's mistake…


End file.
